I've really got to hand it to the few people who were brave enough to read that whole rambling mess from yesterday. You are real troopers!
Yesterday we went and put money down on my daughters trombone. This whole idea of renting instruments for band is all new to me. I had no idea which ones were good or bad. Luckily the first place I called was a mom and pop place. The guy who ran it gave me a ton of information. He even encouraged me to shop around but to use the info he gave me to make an informed decision. I called one other business and they told me it was 24.95 a month. That was it. No info on what brand it would be or anything else. I wasn't sure what the mom and pop place was going to charge me but I knew that they were the ones I wanted to give my money to.
Getting in to choose the horn was a whole other comedy of errors. We went in last week but he was gone. Then we couldn't get there till after the store closed. I talked to him on Monday and he said he'd stay late for us. We got there about a half an hour after the store closed but you wouldn't have guessed it. There was no rushing. There was no hustle. We were there for nearly 2 hours. (They are chatty people!) He let her try several horns out. He made sure she had a long enough reach to get all the notes. It was great. Not only was he great with my daughter but they gave us what I think is a good deal. I pay a little more than the 24.95 the other place charged, but the horn is hers in 10 months.
These people love what they do. They know how much music can enrich a child's life. The business isn't profitable yet, but the owner refuses to close it. He says he will carry it as long as he can because it's that important to him that people have a place that will look out for the customer over profits.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that sometimes it's worth it to go out of the way and find small businesses. I can't justify leaving Walmart for my groceries (I gotta keep my eye on the bottom line!) but I can support as many little guys as I can on the side.
Have a happy Wednesday!
Oh! By the way, my husband has resurrected his old blog. He doesn't update as frequently as I do but he's got some good stuff over there if you're interested. It's a little different this time around.
5 comments:
WalMart gets my vote. Wonderful return policy.
CCB is back in business? Sweet.
If only you'd had the trombone before the drama---you could have put it all to music.
I love stores like that! We are buying Joshua's trumpet from a little shop that's been here forever and you find the same kind of wonderful people only in music stores and used book stores. They are great!
I knew CCB would be back!!
It takes a lot of personal attention for musical instruments. My kids were all in band and it takes a lot of hand-holding. Not just from family but from instructors and helpful music stores.
Sounds like you got a good deal...This must be a beginner horn for that price. If she stays in band in her high school years you will want to buy her a better horn. I played trombone in band from 6th grade thru 2 years in college. My horn wasn't the best but it was what my mom and dad could afford. Having said that....all three of my children were in band. Bonnie played Clarinet...Jennifer played french horn and William played Tuba....We bought the clarinet that the school recommended. It was a good horn for Bonnie. When she was in marching band we bought her a "marching horn" from International Music Supply out of Chicago. They had the best prices and good horns. Jennifer and Williams horn we rented from the school system. French horns and tubas are not cheap by any means.
I hope your daughter has a great musical experience. Band was wonderful for all three of my kids.
Tip from a trombone player: Be careful with that slide, you don't want to get a ding in it because it is expensive to remove and slows down the slide. Get a good mouth piece and she will do great.
Good luck!
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