Address: 52 Main Street
Old Address: 8 Woodruff Street (became 11 Woodruff Street)
Opened: 1989
Ampersound is a music and electronics shop opened by Mark Coleman in 1989.
Plattsburgh Press-Republican, 30 April 1989
New, electronics outlet puts stress on answers
By CHRIS MELE
Staff Writer
Sara-Placid Bureau
SARANAC LAKE - After seven years of working for someone else in the electronics business, Mark Coleman was ready to branch out on his own.
Coleman, who worked for Sounds Good on Broadway, has taken his electronics expertise and know-how and opened Ampersound at 8 Woodruff St.
"The main reason to do this stuff is to have satisfied customers. Having a dissatisfied customer is like having bad advertising," he said. Coleman's first business venture offers a broad line of "quality products at a fair price with service to back it up."
The store that was most recently home to a bike shop has been transformed with new carpeting, linoleum, a fresh paint job and new shelves. Coleman credited the building's owner, Richard Freeburg of Rainbow Lake, with helping to improve the look of the store. Crowding the shelves are televisions, VCR's, car stereos, telephones, cassette tapes, CD's and other accessories.
Also on display — but not for sale — is a dash board from a 1966 Ford Mustang that is mounted to a wall. The dash is used to display a car stereo system and to "provoke a little interest," Coleman said with a mischievous grin.
Coleman said his store is similar to Sounds Good, but that his business places a greater emphasis on customer service. "It's a copy in that the products I have here are good quality products," he said, noting he carries name brands like Sony, Panasonic and Technics.
Customers sometimes get confused by electronics, which is where Coleman steps in. He said he is available to respond to questions and to offer "plain language answers."
After working at Sounds Good, Coleman recognized that there is a market for electronics in the area. "The other store virtually proved a need for (that kind of store," he said. "I was very methodical — and then you can put in parentheses "slow" — before I jumped into it. Before I get into something I want to make sure it's a feasible idea." Coleman said he studied the market, wrote a business plan and mapped out sales projections.
"Once I saw it was feasible, I just decided to go ahead and do it."
Ampersound is open 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays.
