The
story of Axe Music and the Holowaychuk brothers would make a
great, old-time silent movie. Cue the piano and roll the
hand-cranked projector. In black and white, of course.
It’s the
late 1970s and 20-year-old carpenter Brian Holowaychuk is
struggling to make a living in the ultra-competitive
house-framing business. One day, he gets an idea- an amateur
musician, he has been building his own speaker boxes for some
time; working in his dirt floored garage, he’ll build
high-quality speakers at good prices for local musicians. But
while Edmonton’s merchants recognize the quality of his
workmanship, Holowaychuk is shut out of the market. Time and
again, door after door is closed to him as retailers signal
their preference big, out-of-town, established suppliers.
It’s
1980, brother Darrell joins the operation. (Text on screen
“Darrell: It looks like fun!”)
Undaunted, the brothers decide to circumvent the retailers. They
begin selling their product straight to musicians and local
bands in bars and clubs, using the money they earn for more
supplies. (“Brian: And a few hot dogs and Kraft dinner.”)
Together
they turn the garage workshop into a growing retail operation,
adding guitars, strings and other supplies to their inventory.
They earn a reputation for good service and competitive pricing
in the music community. Things are ticking along quite nicely-
and then the city bylaw people descend on them, forcing them to
move from their unheated, and increasingly crowded, garage.
Cut to a
scene of the brothers standing within a cavernous warehouse
northeast of Edmonton’s Coliseum (now Rexall Place), anxiously
contemplating the prospect of selling enough to cover the rent.
Now,
fade in with colour film, showing all 14,000 square feet of that
warehouse packed with people, sounds and $1,000,000 worth of
products. Then add footage of the equally large Calgary store-
opened in the early 1990s- and the commercial audio installation
division and some of its clients, such as Rexall Place- the
former Coliseum and the Government of Alberta. Finally, cut to
shots of students at the Axe School of Music: Weekend Warriors-
men and women who pursue their passion for music by forming a
band and performing live at a local venue; Future Warriors-
young musicians given the same opportunity to live the band
experience; and young students at the summer Rock Camp.
Yes,
it’s Oscar material- an inspiring story that runs the gamut of
emotions.
It’s
2005- twenty-five years since the start of our story- and Brian,
45, and Darrell Holowaychuk, 48, president and vice-president,
respectively, of Axe Music, Light, Sound and Video are the
recipients of a Small Business Owner of the Year award from the
Edmonton Chamber of Commerce.
The two
brothers have become the No. 1 music equipment retail operation
in Western Canada, and extended its reach throughout North
America, via their online retail arm: www.axemusic.com.
“The
business took us where it took us,” says Darrell. “It was the
school of hard knocks and ‘learn as you go.’ We made some
classic blunders.”
Today,
the company employs more than 91 full- and part-time staff.
Darrell credits some age-old reasons for their success. “Hard
work, good people. We surrounded ourselves with good people all
the way along,” he says.
“In the
beginning, it was Brian and I going out and meeting the
customers. We knew them all by name and we treated them like our
friends. And that’s been our philosophy from Day 1, to treat our
customers like you would want to treat your friends.”
The
company is solid and the brothers have taken on participating
partners Sherry Zotzman, Rick Shermack and Brian Cymbaluk, to
ensure the longevity of what they have built, and help them
pursue their goal of becoming the strongest music equipment and
commercial installation supplier in Canada.
Yet, the
story wouldn’t be complete if it didn’t mention the ways in
which the brothers Holowaychuk give back to the community that
supported them from those earliest days in that garage.
AXEtremefest,
Molson’s Rock Search, Calgary’s
Youth Week, and the Children’s Wish Foundation are a few of the
events and productions in which Axe Music participates.
In 2005,
Axe Music funded the St. Alphonsus Discover Music program, or,
as Darrell and its participants call it- the School of Rock.
Based on an idea suggested from a member of the Edmonton Police
Service, the program gave junior high students attending the
inner city school an opportunity to participate in a unique
music program. One-third of the school’s students signed up and
stuck with the program.
The
benefits were tremendous, Darrell says. Attendance in classes
went up, kids were more focused, and most importantly perhaps,
introduced to something that gave them a sense of belonging.
“I think
it was life-changing for some of them, judging from the letters
we got from them,” he says.
It was
so successful Darrell would like to see the program continue
and, he hopes, be expanded to other schools. “I’m actively
looking for funding right now to keep it going.”
How
shall we end this documentary telling the story of Axe Music? We
could film Darrell and the partners rockin’ on in the Edmonton
location, but perhaps it would be more in keeping with
Hollywood’s style to end with footage shot from Brian’s new home
on Vancouver Island, from where he oversees the purchasing
function and the online retail operation.
Yes,
that’s it, fade to black.
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