Southtown Audio Video (SAV) has been hard at work—first on the exterior of its building and now an interior renovation.
Work started last October on the exterior façade of the buildings in Hamburg, NY. What has not been observed is the interior work that has been happening inside the doors of Southtown Audio Video.
“The face of retail has changed,” remarks Heather Sidorowicz, president and owner, SAV. “When I saw long successful companies close at the local malls, I knew we had to do something.”
SAV sold off all its showroom inventory and moved forward with a new plan. “Currently about 80 percent of our business is commercial, and, upon our research, we found that no local spaces exist in the Southtowns for larger meetings—especially ones outfitted with the right technology” Sidorowicz explained. “We partnered with Mid City Office Furniture to create an Experience Center like no other.”
The showroom is equipped with an 85-inch LED and movable tables for up to 25 participants. Perfect timing because Sidorowicz just received her certification to teach CEU classes for local architects, builders, and designers.
“This space will be usable by the community, local business, our vendors, and works well for continuing education events,” she added.
Beyond that, the SAV Experience Center hosts a smaller breakout room and lounge—which are also tech-savvy, naturally. Both space will have the ability to throw content wirelessly to the screen, and audio/video conferencing abilities.
Sidorowicz pointed out that many local businesses may not have a room large enough to hold a meeting of that size or may not have the budget for a full- blown technology space. Now they can walk before they run.
SAV closed its doors to normal retail hours in early July. Without the informal walk-in hours, Sidorowicz and her team have been able to create clients appointments and dedicate uninterrupted time to those clients. "Since then, our residential client base has been growing again. It is counterintuitive to what you might think, but that dedicated time really works."
The new center also offers more for residential clients; it will feature home control in the form of audio, lighting, and HVAC control. “What has changed, is we no longer have two dozen TVs to show the client, we have experiences to reveal to them,” she added.
“Our goal is to enhance your life with technology in the places you work, live, and play," concluded Sidorowicz. “Technology is not a perfect science, but with the right company by your side, it will certainly make life better.”
A ribbon cutting ceremony for the new SAV Experience Center will be held at 4 p.m. on Nov. 1, 2018.
