Shine a Light

HITTING A HIGH NOTE IN THE HEART OF D.C.

By Michelle Loeb

When Lindy Campbell opened Music on the Hill in July 2013, she had no business training or experience, and no idea how valuable her store would become to the music community of Washington, D.C.

Campbell had studied music education and classical percussion, and previously worked at Middle C Music as a sales associate and as a teacher, doing both private drum classes as well as developing a curriculum for early childhood education. Based on that background and experience, Campbell originally conceived of Music on the Hill as a private lesson business, originally located in a second-floor walkup. The space consisted of four rooms for lessons and a waiting room.

“The retail footprint consisted of sheet music and accessories designed to support a lesson program, but we had immediate and strong demand for more retail,” explained Cambpell. “People wanted to buy ukuleles and guitars and rent band and orchestra instruments right away.”

Quickly finding that her modest space lacked the size, accessibility and signage necessary for proper retail, Campbell found a centrally located, two-story former townhouse that became Music on the Hill’s new home in November 2015.

“It featured a beautifully designed front room with an exposed brick wall, which we hang our

Music on the Hill 801 D St. NE Washington, D.C., 20002 (202) 733-3158 www.musiconthehilldc.com Mon. – noon – 6 p.m. Sun., noon – 4 p.m. Lindy Campbell, Owner

Lindy Campbell with “Uke-n-More” students. One of Music on the Hill’s guitar teachers jamming.

acoustic and electric guitars on,” said Campbell. “The space features two huge bay windows, which let in a lot of natural light. We also have a hardwood floor and tin roof, so there are natural surfaces everywhere you look. And because it was a former real estate office, the upstairs already had six small offices, perfect for private lessons.”

Upon moving into the new space, “our sales and lesson registrations went through the roof,” said Campbell. Music on the Hill now employs two fulltime and two part-time staff, as well as 16 private teachers.

Campbell’s 9-year-old son, Owen, is also an honorary staff member, acting as the store’s self-appointed chief morale officer. He’s been a fixture at the store from the beginning, said Campbell, “making friends with my staff and sneaking upstairs for piano lessons from one of our teachers. He would fall asleep in the showroom.” She continued, “I think this strongly contributed to our identity as a family-friendly business. I think that my success in creating a loyal customer base among the families in my community is strongly connected to me being a parent in the same community.”

Campbell’s ability to tap into her real life experience like this has helped to make her business stand out, especially without any business experience to lean on. “I think my lack of formal business training has been both a challenge and an asset. I faced a steep learning curve, and basically learned on the job,” said Campbell, who has also learned a lot from the NAMM Idea Center, Retail Boot Camp and the NAMM Young Professionals mentorship program.

“I have also seen how powerful it is to not be limited by ‘this is how things are done,’” she continued. “Some of our business practices defy conventional wisdom, but I didn’t know that when I put them into practice. I was just doing what worked best for us at the time.”

One such unique program was a preschool ukulele class designed to give kids 3.5 to five years old instrumental music lessons. This is an age range for which “there are fewer activity options available,” said Campbell. “So, I am able to bring more families and students into Music on the Hill, and get them started on playing music, than I would if we waited until 6 or 7 [years old] to start offering educational opportunities.”

Campbell also created a rental program that lets beginners rent an instrument for eight weeks for the nominal fee of $50, an amount that gets converted to a rental credit if they decide to continue playing beyond the trial period. “A large number of first-time customers are wary of investing in a quality instrument just to try it out, and can end up with (continued on page 45)