Secrets of Success - Fascinating Rhythm

The 21st century has not always been kind to those in the music industry. Steve Lebitschnig owner of Fascinating Rhythm at 51 Commercial Street in Nanaimo has seen a lot of music store chains come and go over his twenty-five years in the business. In spite of the boost of digital music sales, Steve stayed true to his vision to provide his customers with hard to find items and a service that is second to none. This week he shared with us his secret to success.

DNBIA: What motivated you to start this business?
Steve: An interest and love of music. I’ve always been into record collecting. I got involved in a radio station at University of Victoria and was the Station Manager for two years. After working with music I reassessed what I was doing and decided to open my own record store. I was born and raised in Crofton, and I began looking for a market where there seemed to be a niche. At that time there weren’t any used record stores. I looked at the smaller communities and Nanaimo seemed to be the best fit. I had no previous retail experience. It was a little planning and a little luck.

DNBIA: How long have you been in business?
Steve: I started in 1988 at Country Club Mall and I was there for twelve and half years. I moved downtown in 2001 and on November 1st we celebrated 25 years in business.

DNBIA: What made you decide to move downtown?
Steve: It was a difficult time in the music business. Downloading had taken hold and our sales were sliding. I was concerned for the future of the business combined with the rents going up and sales going down I had to reduce overhead. I hadn’t thought of moving downtown, but Glen Saunders, who owns the Flying Fish, offered to rent me his building. It was a very big building and I told him I couldn’t rent it all, so we put a wall down one side and he had a new tenant. As soon as I moved downtown the community welcomed me and it felt great. I so enjoyed the natural light and the fresh air rather than the interior of a mall. I never looked back.

DNBIA: Give us a short description of your business.
Steve: We buy sell and trade new and used records, music books, songbooks, some guitars, radios and stereo equipment.

DNBIA: What are you best known for and why?
Steve: Overall it is our selection of material. It’s not just used records. We also carry many new titles in the store, hard to find items and cult favorites. There are listening stations in the store. People come in and they browse for hours. The staff has so much music knowledge; they are the ones who keep our customers coming back.

DNBIA: Tell us about your staff.
Steve: We have three people working full and part-time. It has always been very important to have good people here. The staff has established relationships with the regulars and greets them by name and knows their musical tastes. Many customers have become friends and they tell us their stories. So often the staff has been there for customers with problems and the store has become a community-meeting place. That is one of the benefits of being a small independent store.

DNBIA: Who are your customers?
Steve: Well, there are a few groupings, for instance the long time avid collectors looking for rare material. Over the last few years we’ve seen more young people interested in vinyl again. They say the quality of the sound is warmer and they like the covers. We also get DJs coming in looking for records. There is something for everyone and with so many items at a buck and items in excellent condition at five dollars; it’s a great deal.

DNBIA: How do you get your records?
Steve: As the store reputation grew, people began bringing us stock from all over the island. It was mostly word of mouth. I have my regulars who keep their eyes open for a good deal, they pick up the item and resell it to me. I’ve always been happy to pay a bit more for really good titles and people know that.

DNBIA: What are your hours?
Steve: We have always been open seven days a week for twenty-five years. I started in a mall and I was used to the hours. It is convenient for customers to come in on a Sunday and spend a leisurely hour looking around the store. We are only closed three days a year; Christmas, New Year’s and Easter Sunday and people know that. We get people coming up on their boats to pick up DVDs for their vacation because they know we are always open.

DNBIA: What advice would you give to a new business starting out in downtown Nanaimo?
Steve: When I moved downtown I was already an established business. I had a customer base that followed me. Luck plays a part, and so does planning. Most downtown businesses are independent and I believe that gives you an added advantage because you don’t have to clear things with head office.

DNBIA: So with the massive changes in the music industry, why does your business thrive?
Steve: In spite of all the industry changes, I didn’t want to change the overall essence of the store. I’ve always strived to make the store the best it could be; it wasn’t always about number crunching. It’s about being fair to customers; overall that is what my reputation is built on. That reputation spreads. We’ve lost a lot of stores over the years, all the chains are gone and the rest of the places have scaled back. I wasn’t afraid to take a different approach. I had a vision and I stayed true to it.

DNBIA: What geographic region do you serve?
Steve: We have customers from all over the Island. Stores such as mine are fewer and farther between than they once were. I’ve had visitors from Australia and the Middle East and they come in and look around and tell me they don’t have anything like this where they come from. When they come back to Nanaimo they always come in. We’ve had musicians come into the store because of our proximity to the Port Theatre, like Elvis Costello, Diana Krall and Colin James.

DNBIA: What’s that like having famous musicians come into the store?
Steve: We see a different side of the musician, the music fan side. It’s always interesting to see what kind of music they are interested in. When Robert Cray was in town, he and his bass player came into the store to buy records and he even bought one of his own records.

DNBIA: What about Fascinating Rhythm makes you the most proud?
Steve: Getting positive feedback from people so regularly. People come in and get this wide-eyed look when they first come into the store. I enjoy that they appreciate what we have to offer.