{"id":159901,"date":"2024-02-01T13:06:50","date_gmt":"2024-02-01T18:06:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.constantcontact.com\/blog\/?p=159901"},"modified":"2025-01-18T08:32:17","modified_gmt":"2025-01-18T13:32:17","slug":"house-of-guitars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.constantcontact.com\/blog\/house-of-guitars\/","title":{"rendered":"House of Guitars: Stratocasters, Metallica, and Music to Build the Community"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Being “the store that ate your brain” can be a heavy mantle to hold, but House of Guitars has set itself up to be a mind-bending experience right when you walk in the door. Located in Rochester, NY, House of Guitars showcases floor-to-ceiling rock memorabilia. Vinyl records, posters, and autographs line the walls — every piece of decor cementing past and future stars into the store’s history. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Owned and operated by the Schaubroeck family, the House of Guitars team uses Constant Contact to streamline their marketing and bring it toward an internet-first strategy — finding growth and profit in email marketing and social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Average open rate year over year: 34%<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Open rate vs industry average: +1%<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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List growth year over year: 12%<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Laying the groundwork and growing the community<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Brothers Armand and Bruce Schaubroeck founded House of Guitars in 1964 in the cellar of their mother’s home. It was the same year The Beatles crossed the Atlantic and brought the British Invasion<\/a> to the United States. “We started with very humble beginnings,” said Bruce. “We didn’t have money; we were young — I think I was 16 when we decided to do it.” What started as a family business is a music industry staple to this day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Billed as the largest music store in North America, House of Guitars sells a wide variety of new and vintage guitars, amps, orchestral instruments, keyboards, and drum kits. The team also has a long history of helping outfit musicians and festivals — giving buyers the opportunity to test out equipment in their showroom and organizers the help they need to produce a quality event. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to selling their products to future rock stars, they host weekly performances, offer music lessons<\/a>, and house their record label, Mirror Records<\/a>, in the basement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“The Store That Ate Your Brain” is how the Schaubroeck family describes the experience of walking into their eclectic showroom. Source: Gabriella Hunt<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Fostering talent and gaining exposure<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Since the store was founded, it’s played its part as a meeting ground for legends. “Metallica. When they came to Rochester, they came from the Bay Area, and they were called the Bay City Thrashers. They recorded at a studio in downtown Rochester — they were hanging out here almost every day, just trying out pedals and guitars,” said Bruce. Immaculate Mary, one of the bands signed to Mirror Records, even made the attempt to become the “Loudest Band in the World” in 1988. They succeeded and made it into the Guinness Book of Records<\/a> in 1990 with a record of 123 decibels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The relationship between House of Guitars and emerging bands has proved to be symbiotic. House of Guitars provides young bands the tools to make it in the industry, and in turn, bands and musicians give exposure and continued support throughout their careers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Switching to digital<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It takes a lot to run a business, let alone establish it as a pillar of a hard and fast industry. Before the birth of Facebook and internet marketing, House of Guitars spent the majority of its almost 60 years in business using traditional marketing methods like word-of-mouth and physical mailers. What really got their name out into the community was their famously off-beat tv commercials, radio spots, and promotional contests like “World’s Worst Guitar Player.”  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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