Canadian Music Trade - August/September 2020 | Page 18

Faces
By Andrew King
DAVE SIMPSON
Despite making a living as a full-time
singer-songwriter for a few years
prior, Dave Simpson admits he was
“very, very green” when he took a job
on the sales floor at Calgary’s Guitarworks
in his early 20s. During his
first day, he had to be shown how an amp head connects
to a speaker cabinet. By a customer.
But it turns out he was pretty good at the sales part,
and fortunately, also a fast learner. In the 13 years since,
he’s worked in sales, purchasing, and store management
for the high-profile chain. Now, in his current role as
Guitarworks’ digital manager, his main focus has been
building the company’s web presence and growing its
online sales channel, which has been paramount to
weathering the COVID-19 storm these past few months.
“Transitioning a company with three brick-and-mortar
locations to an online-only model pretty much overnight
was a massive undertaking, but we were lucky to have had decent
bones in place to make the switch,” Simpson tells Canadian Music
Trade. “Now, we’re just trying to focus on serving all of these new
online customers and offer something unique as an online experience.”
In addition to leading Guitarworks through years of growth and,
lately, months of challenges, Simpson is also one of the entrepreneurs
(along with his wife, Louise) behind the thriving Honolua Ukuleles.
“We wanted to create something of our own from the ground
up,” he explains about the business they founded in late 2017. “We
saw ukuleles as a really fun and personal project. We’re big lovers of
Hawaii and its culture, and I thought I could design something that
could stand out in a crowded space.”
The initial idea was to focus on direct ecommerce sales, but
thanks to his vast network in the Canadian MI industry – and, of
course, to having a desirable product – Honolua came out of the
gates with a strong wholesale business as well. “It’s great partnering
with friends to sell them in their stores and have it be mutually
beneficial,” Simpson adds. They also started an adjacent group
lesson service last year, Uke Night, that’s built up some impressive
momentum offering public, private, and team-building music education
events.
It’s clear in even casual conversation that Simpson is very passionate
about his dual-pronged career in music – particularly when it
comes to sharing that passion with other people. “When I spent a lot
of time selling at Guitarworks, I was always a sucker for helping an
excited kid get his or her first guitar, and I get that same excitement
when I interact with Honolua customers,” he candidly enthuses.
“For me, music is so personal and has been such a huge part of my
life’s path, it’s a special thing to be a part of that for other people,
and it’s a part that still hasn’t worn off 13 years in.”
As for more specific standouts, his first factory trip with
Guitarworks was to Gibson Acoustic HQ in Bozeman, MT. “My
number one instrument is, and always will be, my J-45, Kathleen,
that I bought from Guitarworks before I started working there,” he
explains. After the trip, Simpson sent a note to his hosts to thank
them and tell them about his favourite guitar, how he’d bought it,
and why he named it. A short while later, a package arrived from
Montana with a custom truss rod cover onto which “Kathleen” had
been hand-engraved. He also mentions a Yamaha Canada dealer trip
to China and Japan as an unforgettable memory, thanks in large part to
the special bond that developed between the group of Yamaha staff and
dealers. “That was an incredible experience, and I still enjoy seeing every
single person on that trip down at NAMM every year,” he tacks on.
Outside of work, Simpson enjoys the simple pleasures with Louise
and their two sons, eight-year-old Ray and five-year-old Vance.
“We live for music, baseball, and beaches,” says the longtime Toronto
Blue Jays fan, adding that they’re all looking forward to being able to
safely travel again in the hopefully-near future.
As for what’s on the horizon for the rest of 2020, Simpson says:
“Being a digital guy, the acceleration of the trend to online thanks to
COVID-19 has me excited. With more Canadians moving to online
channels for their shopping, I just think there’s so much potential for
both of the companies I’m associated with in that space.”
The name of the game for both, as he sees it, is staying sharp
and ready to pivot and adapt in response to a fast-changing market.
“We don’t know what the world is going to look like three, six, or 12
months from now, so you need to position yourself to change things
up quickly to keep forward momentum.”
Looking at where he’s helped to take both Guitarworks and,
more recently, Honolua since his first foray into the MI industry
13 years ago, it’s clear that building and maintaining momentum is
something he’s gotten pretty good at.
Andrew King is the Editor-in-Chief of Canadian Music Trade.
PHOTO: KARA ROHL
18 CANADIAN MUSIC TRADE