MH: John, give us a history of how "Toys From The Attic" was formed.
M&J: Mario and I have known each other since sophomore year of college. Love of music and the guitar is something we've always had in common. Matter of fact, around the time we first met, I was 'refinning' a guitar in the janitor's closet at school. Mario really got a kick out of that and, you know, we just kinda' hit it off.

I'd been doing repairs and dabbling in the hobby for a long time. In March of 1995, Mario called me looking for a guitar. He had just had knee surgery following a skiing accident and figured he'd use his down time to pick up the guitar again. I told him what I had, but most were more than he wanted to spend, being laid up and out of work, and all. I did have an SG with a repaired neck, but he wasn't into that. He's not really into playing SG's, the way I am. I love 'em! We bust each other's chops about that all the time!

So anyway, he sets off looking for a guitar and gets the bright idea of borrowing enough money from his girlfriend to buy like a half dozen of 'em. He figures he'll sell all but one, and be into that one for next to nothing. Next thing I know it's April and he's talking about getting a booth at the Long Island show the following month. I said "Wait a second, you don't just buy a booth at a show and start peddling guitars!" He said, "Why not?!" I didn't have an answer for him, so the next thing I know he's got me roped into a booth at the show. We had a blast, so it wasn't hard to convince me to do it again. Soon after that we picked the name, (yes, we both like Aerosmith, but that's not really where the name comes from) got a bank account, started advertising and by November, it became Mario's full time job. I joined him full time the following July when we opened the store.

MH: What was your vision for the Company when you opened the store?
M&J: Well, we had a couple. For starters, we really wanted to make an impact in the industry. Neither of us wanted to be seen as just another vintage or used guitar store with the same stuff everybody else had. So when we started, we saw two areas we could really focus on. We noticed that a lot of mail order customers were complaining about getting misrepresented guitars. That gave Mario the idea for 'Stop the brutal over grading!'. I can't believe how popular that tag line has become. People reiterate it to us all the time. Gary Blankenberg at Very Cool Guitars even wrote a funny joke about it a few years ago. The punch line is a patron at an Italian restaurant telling his waiter, who's grating fresh cheese on his pasta for him, to stop the brutal overgrading! Anyway, people really took to that. We even offered free return shipping if the guitar was over graded! In the first year we were in business, we only got 2 guitars back, neither for being over graded. The concept went over very well.

The other thing we did was focus on vintage Ibanez guitars. At the time they were largely overlooked and we both loved them. They are well-built, great players and a killer value compared to their American counterparts. Other dealers were laughing at us. At a summer Philly show back in '96 we over heard two other dealers talking just outside our booth saying, "Look at all those Ibanez's. They'll learn; next year, they'll all be Gibson's and Fender's." We had dealers calling us left and right to sell us Ibanez's and snickering when we bought 'em.

Needless to say, we sold every one. We even had want lists for some of the more popular models. And because nobody else was buying them, we were getting offered everything, Bob Weir's, Roger Scrugs', John Scofield's, Alan Holdsworth's, George Benson's, Steve Lukather's, you name it, we were getting them all. Then we started unearthing real gems, like a prototype that was made for Jerry Garcia and a triple neck that was made with a Steve Howe endorsement deal in mind, and more recently, a prototype for the JS-5 Rainforest from the Joe Satriani Series. Next thing you know, all these dealers that had been sending us guitars are calling up asking for information about the different models! It was at that point that we realized we had changed the market forever and boy did that feel good.

Our other vision for the store was to have more than a vintage guitar shop. We wanted to build a big boys toy store. Our very first business card said "Pre-owned Hi-End Home Audio" on it before we actually had any! That department was born in 1997. In '99 we started the Northeast Guitar Show and Music Festival and in 2000 we launched our hi-end watch department. Now we even distribute our own brand of watch winders. It makes for a very eclectic mix and an interesting place to both work and shop.

MH: What would you consider to be "Toys" specialty? M&J: I'd like to answer this in two ways Trent. From a business standpoint, I'd say we specialize in customer service, honesty and integrity. Amongst the staff, our pool of knowledge is very deep. We don't employ sales clerks. Everyone at the store is very passionate and extremely knowledgeable in their field. When you get a description from us, you know EXACTLY what's going to show up at your door, right down to the pickguard screws!

Clark Williams, Sales Representative

From an inventory standpoint, our specialty is variety. I'd say we are known for our extensive knowledge about PRS, Ibanez, Deans and Charvels, but let me tell you, we know an 8 screw guard from an 11 screw guard, for sure. But I think one of the things we enjoy most about our inventory is its depth. If you came to the store today, I could show you a pre-CBS custom color Strat; a cutaway, blonde D'Angelico Excel; a D'Angelico Reissue; an '86 PRS Custom with Birds and the very first '58 Les Paul Standard. I could also show you a Parker Fly; a custom shop Strat; an autographed EVH, actually, Van Halens from three different companies; a Satriani Crystal Planet and a pretty high quality $99 Johnson Strat copy for the beginner. And that's in just one of our three departments!

MH: Tell us about your facility and what do you feel is unique about "Toys From The Attic"?
M&J: Well Trent, we have a 3100 sq. ft. store, on the second floor. The fact that we have 3 seemingly unrelated departments I'd say is pretty unique. In addition, we have a service/repair department for both instruments and amps, with 2 Luthiers on staff. We offer a conservatory quality lesson program headed by the guitarist on Pink's forthcoming record and a showroom with everything from a Boss Slow Gear to a '58 Sunburst Les Paul. Hey, where else can you shop for a guitar, a true cinema quality home theatre and a Rolex all in the same place?!

MH: Tell us about your staff and how their expertise benefits your customers shopping experience?
M&J: As I was saying before Trent, knowledge runs deep amongst the staff. These guys are all guitar fanatics and absolutely LOVE talking shop. This pool of knowledge really allows us to mate just the appropriate product to meet the customer's needs. MH, VG, TCG, the Bluebooks and industry standards like Wheelers are required reading, but no one has to tell them that.

Oscar Bjorklund, Luthier

In addition, the gentleman who runs our repair department is a graduate of the Musikk Instrument Akademiet (Musicial Instrument Academy), an instrument building and repair University in Europe. That school is the equivalent of say, Harvard Law School for Luthiers. They only take the best and therefore they matriculate the best. Our staff is definitely our greatest strength, along with the relationship that Mario and I have maintained through the years.

MH: "Toys" has always offered a fine selection of quality used and vintage items. Who would you consider to be your typical customer?
M&J: Our customer is not looking for your run of the mill, off the rack guitar. He or she is definitely looking for something interesting, something with character. They typically don't want the impersonal nature of a chain store. Our clients tend to be knowledgeable and savvy. Someone who is looking for added value and exemplary service. Typically, our clients are also very good-natured. We really establish relationships and build a bond of trust with our clients. This philosophy has proven to be rewarding.

MH: "Toys" also offers new product lines as well. Tell us about some of the lines you carry.
M&J:This question could really get you an ear full Trent. In the Audio Department alone, we are authorized dealers for over 3 dozen hi-quality lines. To focus on the instruments in particular though, we carry lines like Don Grosh and Top Hat. Items that out perform the mainstream, right out of the box.

MH: In addition to quality new and used musical instruments, "Toys" really has earned a reputation in the high-end home audio market as well. Tell us about that portion of your business?
M&J: Our Audio Department was just awarded some very high honors. Each year, a show called Home Entertainment is promoted by one of the industry's more prominent publications, Stereophile. It's quite a big event, with hundreds of exhibitors and over 15,000 attendees. This year's show was held in New York City, back in June. At the end, people get to vote for their favorite sound and picture at the show. We were the only company to place in the top 3 spots of all 4 voting categories. I can't begin to tell you how proud we are of that. As with the instruments, knowledge runs deep amongst our staff in the department. We can either advise a customer as to an appropriate upgrade on a particular piece of equipment, like a pre-amp for example, or go to a client's home and orchestrate an entire system, including all the necessary cabling, remotes, satellite and installation. That department is a very healthy and visible part of our company right now and should be for many years to come. As is true in the guitar department, we are also on the board of advisors for the Blue Book of values.

MH: "Toys" is also an aggressive e-tailer. How has the Internet expanded your base of customers and how has your web site contributed to your overall sales?
M&J: The Internet has presented a new and unusual mix of increased traffic and competition. Mail order sales have shifted dramatically from print to electronic media. When we first launched our web site back in '97 it was quite unusual for a boutique specialty retailer like ourselves to have a web site. Today, the opposite is true. We are using our print ads to drive traffic to and help promote our web site. Of course now, everyone and their grandmother have their own site. So we're working hard to find new ways to market the site and show people that we're not just some fly by night electronic page they happened to stumble across in cyber space. For some time we found that our type of client opted to buy instruments privately because the pricing was so attractive. We are now finding that these same people are coming back to knowledgeable retailers like ourselves because of the safety we offer. If you buy an instrument from us, you can rest assured that it is EXACTLY what it was described to be and if you're not satisfied with it, you can send it back. Buy a guitar on the Internet and it's a crapshoot, at best! At one point not too long ago, we had returned 12 of 14 guitars we bought over the Internet because they were either misrepresented or faulty. We lose shipping and sometimes other fees when they go back. And in at least one instance, the guy never gave us a refund! When you deal with us, none of this is ever an issue and I see that people are starting to remember the value of that.

MH: Any plans to promote guitar shows in the future?
M&J: We want to do another show so badly it hurts. The events of 9/11 caused us to cancel last year's show. The loses were substantial, financially and in other ways. But thousands of our neighbors lost more, so we keep this in perspective. But since then the venue has significantly increased their rates so we had to bow out this year as well. We've since found another venue; a better location we believe, but with all the prominent shows in our area from Long Island to Manhattan and Philly to some of the national majors like Dallas and Arlington, we can't find a good weekend to have it. It hasn't left our minds and we'll keep you posted on this.

MH: How do you see the future of the guitar market continuing to evolve?
M&J: The guitar is an American Icon. We love it and the rest of the world loves us for it. Certainly, the popularity and desire for guitars ebb and flow with the popularity of guitar based music in our society. I remember when everybody wanted to be Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton or Eddie Van Halen, or any of a host of other great players. Well, tomorrow, that list will include new names and those players will help to attract the heroes of the generation after that. The guitar becomes a part of, then keeps people connected to their youths. This fact alone guarantees its own sustenance.

MH: In closing, what do you think has attributed "Toys From The Attic" success?
M&J: Our killer ads in Musicians Hotline, of course! (M&J chuckle!) That and slow, controlled growth and a steadfast dedication to what we do. The later has attracted both wonderful clients and great employees. This has entailed hard work and very long hours, but we are dedicated to our idea and have a REAL passion for what we do. Our passion emanates from us and allows our clients to feed off of it. Also of great significance is that our growth and success are directly attributable to our inner culture. Our partnership has enabled us to survive stumbling blocks that would have murdered other companies.

Mario A. Campa & John E. DeSilva