Smaller Is Better

During a lull in a tennis match with a friend, Paul Bessolo was startled when his buddy told him, “I want to buy my guitars from you; I don’t care if I have to pay double what they cost somewhere else.”

Bessolo, owner of Rock Island Sound, a small boutique guitar shop in Rye, told him that he could get the guitars for less than he would have to pay at any other store. “I don’t know why people think that just because I own a small store that they have to pay more for things,” he said. “I can beat any price and I will.”

He can’t buy in the same volume as the major music outlets, but Bessolo has connections in the music distribution industry and can get just about any product a customer would want, from drums to keyboards to guitars. Plus, he’s not looking to make his money on selling gear – he’s mainly interested in developing relationships and stimulating word-of-mouth referrals.

 One customer, Glen Taylor, who doesn’t worry about getting the best deal he can on every purchase, embodies Bessolo’s customer base. As his son took a drum lesson, Taylor brought in a gorgeous Brazilian rosewood guitar to see if Bessolo could help him sell it. The two sat around talking music and admiring the guitar’s materials and craftsmanship.

“Paul offers the whole package so it’s worth paying any price to have that relationship,” said Taylor. “Where else can I hang out and have a conversation about music and instruments rather than just make a transaction?”  

That’s the key to the success of Bessolo’s tiny storefront in Rye (and another one that he opened a few months ago in Tarrytown). He's thriving despite the presence of two music retail giants located a few miles from his outlets: Guitar Center in Larchmont and Sam Ash in White Plains.

Like razor companies, which sell one handle but make their money selling the blades over time, Bessolo sells a guitar, then as the buyer’s interest in the instrument increases, he provides lessons, in-house repairs, accessories, even an amplifier. He started renting band instruments and conducts around 60 school and recreation center programs and a rock-and-roll camp held during school vacations and summers.

He runs several jams with his students as a graduation exercise of sorts, making DVDs from the performances held at Rye Roadhouse, the Rye Nature Center, the Pier Restaurant at Playland and the Rye Recreation Center.

Five years ago, Bessolo– a virtuoso guitarist born in Argentina– had been bouncing all over the tri-state area visiting students’ homes and realized that he spent most of his time in Rye. A woman he was dating at the time who worked in real estate found the storefront on Milton Avenue, far from the city’s commercial district. The outlet is located near several schools; it's tucked discreetly into a brick commercial building with a half-dozen, unsigned stores.

“There’s no foot traffic at all, except around 8:00 am and 3:00 pm,” said Bessolo.

He originally figured that he would divide the Rye store into rooms for lessons, but decided to create three small studios in the back and sell guitars and other equipment out front.

“If I had just sold merchandise, I would have closed the store within a month,” he said. “But I figured people are going to need cables and strings and things like that. Anyone can change strings, but the big stores aren’t going to be as friendly as we are and offer personalized service.”

Recently Bill Cusano of Port Chester, who regularly passed by the shop on his way to Wainwright House, brought in his grandfather’s guitar, a dinged-up, circa-1910 guitar coated with a layer of dust. Cusano doesn't play the instrument , but he wanted to make it playable and pass it on to his son.

For fun, Bessolo and his teachers have formed a band, the Rock Island Sound Rejects, that will perform at several Rye venues in upcoming months.