Hi all. I hope it’s ok to post a thread like this, but with the Holiday shopping season in full force, I thought it would be a good idea to share some of the class act retailers in various segments, especially since this is the time of year in which many of us shop for things outside of our knowledge-base, which can make things tough. So, I hope this proves useful, and I’d like to see some recommendations
Also, I have no affiliation with any of these companies.
So, here are some of my recommendations:
Maury’s Music (http://www.maurysmusic.com)
This is a small music store not far from the Martin factory in Pa. He deals with acoustic guitars, mainly Martin and Blueridge, and accessories. He’s a class act. Also, call him for a price, if you’re interested.
Elderly Instruments (http://www.elderly.com)
This is a much larger independent music store in Michigan, but it’s also a class act. Elderly’s main focus is acoustics, but it also sells electric instruments as well as a lot of accessories and has an impressive selection of CDs (especially of old time music, if you like that)/books/and lots of other cool stuff.
Sadly, I realized that—despite spending many years playing woodwinds—I can’t think of a retailer focused on wind/orchestral instruments that I can fully recommend. They may be out there, but I don’t know of any currently in business.
Crutchfield (http://www.crutchfield.com)
This place is far from being a hidden gem, but retail consumer electronics doesn’t exactly have a reputation for attracting the best people, which makes Crutchfield’s impressive customer service and apparent honesty unique. I’ve bought from them a few times, and they’ve always provided quick shipping and great service, even answering some questions when I bought a new car and was going to transfer my stereo.
Headroom (http://www.headphone.com)
If you’re thinking about buying headphones—anything from an under $40 set to use while working out to a system that costs over $5,000—be sure to check out this site. I think the recommendations they offer are particularly good, as, of the headphones I’ve tried (which was quite a few, particularly in my audio engineer days), I find their descriptions to be fairly accurate. I’ve never listened to the $5,000+ system, though (but I have had a couple sets of Grado SR-60s, one of which I bought from them).
Orion (http://www.telescope.com)
If you know someone into astronomy, heading to this site’s a good bet to find something cool.
Abe Books (http://www.abebooks.com)
This isn’t really a retailer, but a way to search inventories of a lot of independent retailers. This is especially good if you’re looking for something rare or out of print. Of course, with something like this, some of the bookstores will be better than others, but it’s a great site to shop for gifts for book geeks (like me).
Powell’s Books (http://www.powells.com)
A very large independent bookstore with a pretty cool selection, including out of print and hard to find books.
The Tire Rack (http://www.tirerack.com)
All right, not exactly the most provocative gift idea, but it’s a good place that offers great reviews and sells some nifty auto accessories. And, at some point, every car owning person needs to buy tires.
The US Mint (http://catalog.usmint.gov)
I've been buying a couple of people silver proof sets for the last few years, and they've been a big hit. My only regret is that I didn't start doing it in 1999, the first year of the state quarters.
I might add to this later. So, anyone have any recommendations?
Also, I have no affiliation with any of these companies.
So, here are some of my recommendations:
Musical Instruments (particularly guitars)
Maury’s Music (http://www.maurysmusic.com)
This is a small music store not far from the Martin factory in Pa. He deals with acoustic guitars, mainly Martin and Blueridge, and accessories. He’s a class act. Also, call him for a price, if you’re interested.
Elderly Instruments (http://www.elderly.com)
This is a much larger independent music store in Michigan, but it’s also a class act. Elderly’s main focus is acoustics, but it also sells electric instruments as well as a lot of accessories and has an impressive selection of CDs (especially of old time music, if you like that)/books/and lots of other cool stuff.
Sadly, I realized that—despite spending many years playing woodwinds—I can’t think of a retailer focused on wind/orchestral instruments that I can fully recommend. They may be out there, but I don’t know of any currently in business.
Consumer Electronics
Crutchfield (http://www.crutchfield.com)
This place is far from being a hidden gem, but retail consumer electronics doesn’t exactly have a reputation for attracting the best people, which makes Crutchfield’s impressive customer service and apparent honesty unique. I’ve bought from them a few times, and they’ve always provided quick shipping and great service, even answering some questions when I bought a new car and was going to transfer my stereo.
Headroom (http://www.headphone.com)
If you’re thinking about buying headphones—anything from an under $40 set to use while working out to a system that costs over $5,000—be sure to check out this site. I think the recommendations they offer are particularly good, as, of the headphones I’ve tried (which was quite a few, particularly in my audio engineer days), I find their descriptions to be fairly accurate. I’ve never listened to the $5,000+ system, though (but I have had a couple sets of Grado SR-60s, one of which I bought from them).
Telescopes/Astronomy
Orion (http://www.telescope.com)
If you know someone into astronomy, heading to this site’s a good bet to find something cool.
Books
Abe Books (http://www.abebooks.com)
This isn’t really a retailer, but a way to search inventories of a lot of independent retailers. This is especially good if you’re looking for something rare or out of print. Of course, with something like this, some of the bookstores will be better than others, but it’s a great site to shop for gifts for book geeks (like me).
Powell’s Books (http://www.powells.com)
A very large independent bookstore with a pretty cool selection, including out of print and hard to find books.
Auto:
The Tire Rack (http://www.tirerack.com)
All right, not exactly the most provocative gift idea, but it’s a good place that offers great reviews and sells some nifty auto accessories. And, at some point, every car owning person needs to buy tires.
Misc. (edit)
I almost forgot the ace up my sleeve for the people on my list.The US Mint (http://catalog.usmint.gov)
I've been buying a couple of people silver proof sets for the last few years, and they've been a big hit. My only regret is that I didn't start doing it in 1999, the first year of the state quarters.
I might add to this later. So, anyone have any recommendations?
