Canadian Music Trade - February/March 2018 | Page 23

Steve’s Music Store Toronto
Celebrates 40 Years
Jazz Festival] a block-and-a-half to our west, and we have the University of
Quebec about a block-and-a-half to our east, so we have so much more op-
portunity,” Kirman enthuses. “The new location is fabulous with respect to the
street traffic.”
Changes aside, the core of the experience remains the same, Sazant in-
sists. “The way we service our clients, the way we take care and pride in what
we do for a living, we are very proud of that. Going forward, we’re going to
continue to modernize, to be much more effective with our social media and
our website. We want to be able to reach out to a new generation and give
them an opportunity to not just stay home, buy online, and have UPS come to
their door. We sell dreams; we cater to professionals, to weekend warriors, and,
for everyone, we have to make that a pleasurable experience so the they feel
good about it and want to come back.”
Again, the core of that effort is the hands-on approach Steve always
insisted on. “We wholeheartedly want customers to immerse themselves in
music here and try instruments,” Kirman sums up. “There is a certain feel to any
instrument. If you’re not trying it in a brick-and-mortar store, you won’t get the
nuances of it – certainly not from reading a spec sheet.”
And the fun and welcoming vibe that has long defined Steve’s Music is
about as far from just reading a spec sheet as you can get.
Kevin Young is a musician and freelance writer based in Toronto.
Coincidentally, Steve’s Music’s Toronto location cel-
ebrated its 40 th anniversary right around the same
time the new Montreal store opened its doors.
Like Steve’s Montreal, the Toronto store on
Queen St. West has undergone its share of changes
over time, but the most significant of those, says
General Manager Kevin Parker, has simply been the
gear on offer.
A Steve’s veteran of over 37 years, Parker says
the variety of technology and its sophistication and
function in virtually every MI product category has
expanded exponentially, particularly in recording
gear, going from tape to early digital recorders to
modern workstations and software.
“[Recording equipment] wasn’t cheap back
then, but I bet you within a couple of kilometres of
the store in the day, there were probably 50 to 100
recording studios,” Parker says.
Then there are the many live music venues
nearby. “When I started here in 1980, it was the punk
rock scene and Queen St. West was a pretty decrepit
neighbourhood, but it definitely had a cool factor.”
Since then, the neighbourhood has gentrified
significantly, but Steve’s is still within crawling dis-
tance from venues such as the Horseshoe Tavern, the
Rivoli, the Cameron House, and many others. Also,
Parker notes, given that gentrification, their cus-
tomer base is expanding to include people who’ve
moved into the multitude of condo developments
springing up downtown. “And that’s bringing a whole
other demographic of people back to Toronto.”
Steve’s Toronto, like Steve’s Montreal, boasts
multiple rooms, nooks, and crannies and a commit-
ment to founder Steve Kirman’s fundamental hands-
on approach. Parker admits that maintaining a
brick-and-mortar retail store in this landscape can be
challenging, but the fact that Steve’s Toronto is still
going strong says something about the experience
– a place where you can pick up an instrument, take
your time, and try it out.
“That’s the way Steve built it,” Parker puts sim-
ply. “He said, ‘You know what? C’mon in. Pick up
instruments and play them. That’s always been the
way, and it continues to be the way we do business.”
Recently, the store has doubled down on that
ethic, incorporating a full stage outfitted with all the
gear needed for performances and now hosts a reg-
ular Thursday evening open mic. “We call it Steve’s
Lounge,” Parker says. “Anyone can come in and play;
you just have to book it.” And it’s been so successful
the store is considering adding another night. “One
guy comes in one week and plays the guitar, the
next week he’s got a bass player, and by the fourth
week it’s a whole band.”
CANADIAN MUSIC TRADE • 23