Dan’s Guitars

Dan Takamune, owner, Dan's GuitaRs

Dan Takamune, owner of Dan’s Guitars, doesn’t toot his own horn. Customers who are serious about music naturally flock to his store, located on the corner of busy Beretania Street in Honolulu, for their guitar needs. Clients run the gamut from local musicians to international artists from Japan and the U.S. mainland.

Dan’s Guitars offers a wide variety of high-end new and used guitars, amplifiers and music accessories. Daily guitar lessons are held in a soundproof room at the back of the 12,000-square-foot shop. “We expanded our store by 1,000 square feet in the last year, and we expanded once or twice before that,” Takamune says. “It’s better than getting smaller!”

There aren’t definite plans for another expansion, but one thing is sure: Dan’s Guitars is not about blitz marketing and flashy promotions. In fact, the 8-year-old store only employs two full-time people in addition to Takamune, and annual sales growth has averaged between 5 percent to 10 percent per year. What makes Dan’s Guitars successful, despite its low-key nature, is its ability to draw loyal clients with personalized service – even if it doesn’t involve guitars. Recently, a first-time customer asked for help in building a sound system for an event. Dan’s Guitars obliged. The result? A new, loyal customer.

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