9/1/22: From Steve. Our NY store is in "Good Hands".

I am very pleased to announce that as of 9/1/22 our NY store will transition to Jess Birch, our long time manager. Jess goes back to the very earliest days of our time in NYC. (We opened in April of 2008!). He has been tireless in his efforts to build our presence and reputation in NYC, and is the ideal person to carry the NY shop forward as NYC (and the rest of the country) emerges from the challenges of the past few years. Jess will operate the business under the name "Good Hands Drum Shop", which is not only the perfect name, but truly makes the perfect statement. 

A bit of nostalgia: I remember back to the winter of 2008 as we were getting the original 48th street location ready to open. Jess and I made a trip to a CompUSA store that was closing, and we bought our first piece of shop furniture; a glass display case to use as the checkout counter. I think we paid $50, and we also paid about $10 for a rolling cart. We loaded the glass display case onto the cart and rolled it down the snow covered 20 blocks to the shop. Somewhere I have a pic of that display case being the sole piece of furniture/display items in the space.

We've come a long way since then. Great times, and of course tricky times, but through it all we wanted to be sure to a) preserve the true NYC "pro drum shop" model that my early mentors such as Frank Ippolito and Joe Cusatis had fostered (and Manny of Manny's for decades before), and b) to create an environment of "community" for all players, from beginners to pros, and c) to do what we could to give back to the community by supporting local clubs, musicians and their families, and also worthwhile non-profits. Jess has been with us since "Day 1" and is absolutely the best person to carry on the traditions we established and to create new and exciting ones.  

Of course, we'll continue to have a close collaboration with Jess as he takes the business forward. Even as I write this I am working on sending him some cool consignment items from my Illinois shop.

In closing, I feel very certain that the entire NY community of drummers and musicians will continue to support Jess as he moves forward. Jess is embarking on his version of "The American Dream". And, yes, a small business CAN thrive in this crazy retail world. In 2008 when we opened, some people said we'd never last a year. That was 14 years ago. We're still standing! (As Elton John would say).

The dedication to creating an excellent customer experience, along with differentiated products, decades of staff knowledge, a sense of "community", and the ability to "touch and feel" before you buy, can not be replicated on your cell phone. And, these are key factors to driving success. This is not a faceless, online entity that merely wants your money. This shop is, and will continue to be "The Real Deal". 

My experience with the NYC music community for the past 14 years tells me we're in good shape and all of us will not only survive, but also thrive, and that Jess's shop will be your "go to" pro drum shop in NYC for many, many years to come!

Please join me in congratulating Jess!