In a world that disagrees about almost everything, one thing that everybody loves is music. It’s life-changing with the right kind of listening experience, according to Buckhead’s HiFi Buys owner Alan Jones, and that experience starts in the store. It did for him nearly 40 years ago when he walked into a music store and ended up working for them two days later.
Fast forward to 2013, and he revived the HiFi Buys brand here in Buckhead with a personalized audio-visual shopping experience that earns customers for life.“Music moves everybody,” says Alan. “So, our customer is almost everybody because it’s anyone who loves music. I’ve been blessed to work in something I’m passionate about all of my life. It’s brought learning and joy and influence and supports this idea that if you have the right tools and you know what you’re doing, you’re going to be able to share that with other people.”That’s exactly how the business runs.
Its latest and vetted AV inventory earns it a reputation as the Disneyland for people who love music and movies, but the heart that goes into the customer’s experience is what makes this store stand out.“Our people, they’re knowledgeable, friendly passionate, and helpful,” says Alan. “And not just about music. We’re passionate about trying to get the right system for each individual. We know what we’re doing and we have expertly curated brands that have stood the test of time.”
It helps that his team has been with him since they opened in 2015 and together have more than 100 years of experience. They each have intimate knowledge about what the products are, how they work and if they’ll work for a certain customer. The installation team works on the same value system and customers enjoy regular communication from the store after their purchase is complete.
“We treat [our customers] like a member of the family,” Alan says. “We’re on the journey with you. We believe you should enjoy owning the stuff, enjoy purchasing it and it should be a really fun time.” For Alan, that relationship-based sales approach is the same as it was 15 years ago. Now, they just have more cool products to sell including stereo systems, speakers, personal audio and portable products, immersive home theatre products, smart products and more.
Also new is the fact that customers can shop online with the same personalized experience and accessibility to the knowledgeable HiFi staff. And as an added perk, customers have access to watch HiFi Chats on YouTube to learn tips, tricks and insight on new products and sound experiences. “We’ve been the most consistent, quality, fun store that Atlanta has had,” says Alan. “I want people to feel like they’re in the store they remember. If you walked into my store 15 years ago and you came into this store, it’s that same feel, same kind of place, same friendly atmosphere.
Without a doubt, we’ve all been bombarded recently with things that have made us look at our lives and decide what’s really important. Music is one of the greatest ways we can find that place of peace in our lives—especially when it’s done right.”Staying home never sounded so good.
Details: HiFi Buys, 3157 Peachtree Rd. NE., Atlanta, hifibuys.com, 770.931.0606
Stream Smarter
More time at home has us streaming music a lot more, but according to Alan, we could be doing it a whole lot better. “There is an untapped level of performance out therethat anyone would appreciate the difference in,” he says.He’s talking about TIDAL and QoBuz, two streaming servicesthat put the likes of Spotify and Pandora to shame in terms of audio quality, offering HiFi and Master quality tracks of some of your favorite songs and artists as well as an extensive catalog of musicians you may not have discovered yet. A must for any true audiophile.
