The Axe Music Story

“It was 20 years ago today, Sergeant Pepper taught the band to play”

Well ok, not really, that’s just a great song lyric… but it was 25 years ago today that Brian Holowaychuk, a carpenter framing houses in a very competitive marketplace, decided to make a living manufacturing speakers for all the “would be” Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Bands’ in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Recalling his decision to go into the music business, “As a drummer, I was interested in music… as a carpenter, I was already building my own PA boxes.” Holowaychuk had noticed that most speakers were built in Vancouver or the U.S. at that time, and felt that a local builder would have an edge up on the competition; so manufacturing speaker cabinets is how he started his business. Today he is the President of Axe Music, Light, Sound, & Video, one of Canada’s largest and most comprehensive Audio/Video chains.

Starting out in a dirt floor garage just outside Edmonton, Holowaychuk figured if he could manufacture locally, he would have an instant market, if for nothing more than the considerable freight savings this afforded local retailers. Much to his dismay, he soon found he had a product, but no purchasers. Despite the excellent quality, and great local pricing, he discovered retailers were reluctant to chance on a new supplier, preferring to stick with vendors with whom they already had established relationships.

Finally, when one local store agreed to take his PA speakers in exchange for some of their products, he promptly set about hawking his newly acquired wares to local bands in bars and clubs, raising enough money for more supplies, and a few hot dogs and some Kraft Dinner along the way. "That’s how I got started in retail,” says Holowaychuk. “Because we were brand new and every sale was important, we were very attentive to our customers’ wants, needs and desires; an attitude we’ve carried through the company for over 25 years now!”

So hot dogs and Kraft Dinner not withstanding, Axe Music officially launched in the spring of 1980, with Brian’s brother Darrell, company Vice President, joining the fold. The brothers turned the garage into a retail outlet, starting with a huge inventory of “six guitars on the wall," Brian recalls, “and a wood-burning stove for heat, because we couldn’t afford a furnace.” They worked tirelessly to establish themselves in the Edmonton marketplace; excepting those ½ hour lunch breaks for some hot dogs and Kraft Dinner, and watching The Flinstones.

Soon the City of Edmonton came calling, insisting that AXE MUSIC relocate to a proper retail outlet, and so they packed up everything they had… lock, stock and barrel, and took up residency in their current location, just one block north east of Edmonton’s then Coliseum, now Rexall Place, home of the Edmonton Oilers.

A little anxious at first about being able to afford the overhead, Brian need not have worried very much, as AXE grew from its original 2,000 square foot space, quickly taking over the entire building within the next 10 years. Finally, when the landlord approached the brothers with an offer to sell the building, they took immediate AXEvantage of the opportunity, and have since added a second floor, and renovated the entire building, making it one of the absolute flagship Music Retail Operations in Western Canada. "We now do more business in less than a month than we did in our first three years combined," Holowaychuk says, and “we’re proud to have customers in all walks of life, and in all corners of Canada.”

In the early 90s, Axe Music opened a second store in Calgary, which now parallels the success of its 25 year old predecessor, making great strides to become the dominant force in it’s territory, that it’s sister store is in Edmonton.

In terms of product, Axe Music offers a more diversified selection than anyone else in the industry. "We have competitors in various singular sectors, but no single competitor with our overall depth,” Holowaychuk says. "We bring more products to market than any other competitor. In audio alone, we offer more selection than our two closest competitors put together.” With more than $1,000,000 of inventory in each store at any given time, Axe Music is among the largest accounts for audio vendors Electrovoice, JBL, Behringer, and Peavey. The stores also boast one of the largest selections of guitars in all of Canada, stocking a full range of Fender, ESP, Peavey, Ibanez, Paul Reed Smith, Seagull, Dean, Dingwall and many more Fine Instruments. Drums, ranging from African percussion to standard acoustic drum kits, and from sure vendors as Tama, Mapex, Ayotte, Pork Pie, Roland Electronics and more, grace the confines of their Drum Rooms. Keyboards from Alesis, M Audio, Roland, Kurzweil and Korg line the walls of their Technology Room along with all the latest DJ equipment from Stanton, Denon, Pioneer, Rane, and Numark, to name just a few of the many brands they carry.

"We are industry leaders. We were the first in the market to introduce digital recording equipment to Western Canada," Holowaychuk points out as just one example. "Equipment from Steinberg, Mackie, Roland, Event and Behringer”, along with many other great companies, all got great starts in the marketplace via AXE Music’s amazing marketing penetration!

“Visiting an Axe Music store, you will immediately be struck by the sheer size of the operation, pushing 14,000 sq. ft. in both cities. A large open area greets you when you first walk in, and a receptionist and large sales counter peppered with computer terminals set-up to handle the stores’ high volume are prominent. “A simple AXE philosophy fostered long ago, promotes a real hands-on approach in our stores," Holowaychuk says. "We encourage customers to try out the instruments and see how they sound and feel. Anyone can go into our drum room, pick up a pair of sticks, and play to their heart’s content. That’s the way WE believe it should be.”

In addition to the great retail trade AXE is enjoying in its 25th year, the Commercial Installation Division of the store is actively involved in equipping some of the most prominent buildings in Edmonton and Calgary with their Audio and Video requirements. "We started doing commercial work very early on," Darrell Holowaychuk notes. "The commercial side represents a multi-million dollar part of our business, with our teams installing lighting and audio-visual equipment everywhere it is required!”

Axe Music’s commercial clients have included schools, churches, hospitals, airports, racetracks, nightclubs, government conferencing systems, and a large number of hockey rinks in western Canada. "We have done more hockey arenas than all of our competition put together," Darrell Holowaychuk states! Axe is proud to list the Edmonton Oilers as just one of their major corporate accounts, having engineered and installed the entire Audio System, the entire Score Clock system, and the revolutionary Ribbon L.E.D. System in Rexall Place in Edmonton, home of the Oilers. “Axe Music’s lighting and video arms developed out of its initial core audio business”, Darrell further explains, and "audio, video and lighting go together like toast, butter and jam. Commercial clients from all walks of business life need Audio and Video elements on a daily basis,” expands Holowaychuk, “and while some lighting systems are as simple as sticking a bulb in a socket, others are much more complex, requiring a very artistic flair. It can be like working with paints and a paint brush, and Axe has the people to bring it all together."

In the last five years Axe Music partnered with Angel Audio in developing AXE PRODUCTIONS, quickly becoming the forefront entertainment provider in the Alberta region. Axe Productions provides TOTAL Production for all events; staging, sound, lights, movie, projector, and cameras. They do all of our own set up and tear down, insuring you a hassle free, and very professional event. Their innovation and constant upgrading keeps them way ahead of any competition in the area, and insures you are never let down with the presentation of your event. Combining the latest equipment with unbelievable service, makes AXE Productions the only choice for your events!

Axe Music has also been a leader in the use of computer technology to improve business efficiencies, and was one of the first companies in Canada to introduce a computerized Point of Sales (POS) System. "We bought our first mini-computer back when people were just starting to talk about linking PCs to form a network," Brian Holowaychuk says. “The whole company is filled with tech heads. We have computers in every room with the latest software, and with close to $2,000,000 invested into its computer system over the last fifteen years, it is safe to say that AXE feels information is the key to success in managing a business in this day and age. "Wal-Mart dominates its field because its information system is second to none,” says Holowaychuk, “and we prescribe to that philosophy in a big way!” Because of our efficiencies, we price products aggressively, in fact guaranteeing the lowest prices in our marketplace. Our computer system is instrumental in helping us run an organization this size efficiently without the need for excess staff, and that keeps prices down."

Speaking of staff, Axe Music is now called a home away from home by a combines staff of close to100. “Our staff,” Holowaychuk says, “come from all varieties of life, and all types of musical backgrounds. "We put a lot of attention into hiring," states Holowaychuk. "You cannot build a great company without great people, and our staff are the best in their fields, and an integral element of Axe’s success. We make sure we hire the best!”

Over the past three years, Axe Music has also been perfecting its website www.axemusic.com to increase its AXEtensive reach into Canada. “As an information tool, the Internets capabilities are unmatched," says Holowaychuk, “and our initial results indicate that it’s a pretty strong virtual retail medium as well.”

And AXE believes in giving back! Every year AXE Music counts the City of Edmonton, The Edmonton Police Service, and the City of Calgary as just a few of our civic partners, with whom we align to present community events designed at helping foster the Creative Arts culture within Alberta. AXEtremefest, Molson’s Rock Search, Axetreme Stripdown, the St. Alphonsus Discover Music program, Calgary’s Youth Week, Loud Lunch, and the Children’s Wish Foundation, are just a few of the many initiatives driven by AXE Music annually, as our simple way of saying thanks to the community for supporting us for the last 25 years. AXE cares!

Looking ahead, the Holowaychuk Brothers' goal is to make Axe Music the strongest Music and Commercial Retailer in all of Canada. "Operating a retail chain presents different challenges at different times,” Holowaychuk notes. "There was a time early on," he recalls, "when we ran into a cash flow crunch. We had to borrow money from the bank and have our dad co-sign for the loan. I didn’t sleep well for three months until we paid the loan off, being so riddled with the possibility of our father possibly being held accountable for the success or failure of our organization. I learned the importance of running a tight financial ship, and as such, we’ve always made sure our bills are paid promptly, and that we perform professionally in all aspects of our business lives. This goes far in developing the relationships with our suppliers, relationships crucial to our continued longevity and success with our customers!

Something tells me that Papa Holowaychuk doesn’t have to co-sign too many loans these days for his sons’ business, but rather just sits back and enjoys the continued success they have amassed in the last 25years.

As Mike Myer’s character, Wayne Campbell of Wayne’s World fame would say…
Party on Brian and Darrell… AXEcellent!!!