Hi-Fi centric electronics shops like AV Therapy may not be in category of dodo birds or Tasmanian tigers, but home AV stores certainly fall into the rarity category alongside 1959 Gibson Les Pauls and 1969 Chevy Camaros.
Unlike the heyday of home audio, it can be a difficult task for consumers to find a local AV shop, but luckily for residents of Massachusetts, Maine and New Hampshire, Nashua, N.H.-based AV Therapy is thriving.
Located next to Best Buy, the hybrid AV store is celebrating its 10th anniversary through a simple, successful recipe that includes a mix of audio, video, networking and control, and a measured approach to product acquisition and inventory management that has enabled AV Therapy to grow in today’s era of online sales.
Marking the occasion, John Rein, principal partner of AV Therapy, as well as the rest of the team put together a Cinco de Mayo marketing event where it invited several its key vendor partners, and course the store’s customers. Serving food and drinks to a backdrop of AV companies that include Anthem, Paradigm, Nordost, Focal, Linn Products, Luxman, KEF and Sonner product demonstrations, Rein took the evening to mark AV Therapy’s first 10 years and to look forward to what lies ahead in an evolving marketplace.

“It means a lot. Ten years goes by in the blink of an eye. It doesn’t seem that long ago,” admits Rein.

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“I cannot believe we are celebrating our 10th anniversary.”
AV Therapy’s Brick-and-Mortar Evolution
Riding the growth and maturation of streaming audio, as well as other developments in the home audio market such as wireless whole-house audio and immersive audio, Rein says AV Therapy’s business evolved in some ways that aren’t surprising, but he also states it evolved in some ways he did not expect.
“We have moved more upmarket than I anticipated,” surmises Rein.
“We have a trade-in program that allows customers to trade their equipment towards new purchases. Also, our home automation and lighting market sales have increased, and our two-channel business has blossomed more than I could have hoped for.”
“We have a trade-in program that allows customers to trade their equipment towards new purchases. Also, our home automation and lighting market sales have increased, and our two-channel business has blossomed more than I could have hoped for.”
As the market transitions from the peak periods of the pandemic in which the home electronics industry thrived while people were stuck at home, Rein says that from his perspective the market remains strong.
According to Rein, sales are down approximately 10% to 15% from the peak of the pandemic. He emphasizes that despite the dip in sales from the peak period of the pandemic it should be put in context that when compared to pre-pandemic times, sales are strong.
“During COVID our sales were up around 40% and 2-channel has particularly benefitted from consumers aged 45- to 60-years-olds that have home theaters, but want music systems for themselves,” he says.
Focusing on the 10th anniversary celebration Rein points out that some of the products that were emphasized include KEF’s new LS60 and Meta R loudspeakers, which were paired with electronics from Linn Products. Other products on display included Focal’s new Theva line of loudspeakers, as well as electronics from Luxman, Sonner Audio, Anthem electronics and Paradigm speakers.

One product highlight that Rein cites that was featured in AV Therapy’s 10th anniversary Cinco de Mayo event was the Luxman PD191 turntable, which he says is the only one currently in the U.S.
Pulling out his crystal ball and assessing the immediate future for AV Therapy Rein suggests the summer may be slow when compared to the past few summers, but getting back to his earlier comments, sales will remain better than the summers before the pandemic.
“The summer will be slower than it has been, but it will still be busy,” forecasts Rein.
“The spring [2023] slowed down for a month, but then it picked back up. I am optimistic that if it slows down it won’t be too slow. We rely on 2-channel, home theater and home automation, and that drives our business. Recently, we’ve been receiving more customer referrals from all over New England. We had a job in Greenwich, Conn., recently and we’ve done a couple of jobs on the Cape [Cod] too.”

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