The COVID-19 pandemic has been hard on most Surprise businesses this year.
But for the owner of Musical Surprise, 16846 W. Bell Road, it’s been a rough couple of years for more reasons than just the pandemic.
Lance Harris has not only had to deal with down revenues, he’s still recovering from the unexpected deaths of his wife, Robyn, in September 2019 and his oldest son the year before — while navigating the changing world of business at his shop that specializes in music lessons and sales of instruments and equipment.
Robyn, who Mr. Harris said was the heart of the business, died from a blood clot after knee surgery.
“I was actually going to sell this thing in February,” said Mr. Harris, an Oklahoma native who opened it with Robyn in 2009. “But I decided to keep it to keep her legacy.
“But then COVID hit.”
The business has eight full-time employees and 25 teachers on subcontract. But work became more scarce earlier this year when nearly a quarter of the company’s customers dropped out.
That was a indirect effect of many Surprise households featuring a member who had lost a job because of pandemic-related closures since March.
“This is a luxury,” Mr. Harris said about music lessons. “This isn’t a necessity.”
Because of the pandemic, Musical Surprise has moved to virtual lessons for now and nixed group lessons in person.
“We were able to do that pretty quickly, but the impact that it did have is we lost about 22% to 23% of our customer base just like that,” Mr. Harris said. “It’s a tough survival time.”
The other problem is, as convenient as it may seem, music lessons aren’t ideal in a virtual setting, Mr. Harris said.
“Even with schools, people don’t like to do things virtually,” Mr. Harris said. “Virtual things are for meetings and for doing a conference.”
But it’s what is needed to survive in this day and age.
“The good thing about running a small business is you can change on a dime,” Mr. Harris said. “The bad thing about running a small business is it’s our own money.”
Mr. Harris said the business participated in the Paycheck Protection Program, but it was “minimal.”
“We weren’t like some of these guys getting millions of dollars,” Mr. Harris said. “But we were able to make due for 3-1/2 to four months. It helped us get through when the governor opened things back up.”
The business was closed in the spring during Gov. Doug Ducey’s initial order for nonessential businesses to shut down.
“Retail just went totally to crap because nobody could really come in,” Mr. Harris said. “But we survived through it.”
Adding to the misery of the year, both father and Harris’ teenage son, Kody, who helps run the business, contracted COVID earlier this year and dealt with symptoms.
“For us, it’s about keeping our head down and being in the here and now,” Mr. Harris said.
With COVID fears real, it took awhile for customers to feel safe enough to return.
“We are starting to gain back now,” Mr. Harris said. “People are tired of being in their houses.”
Holiday sales helped business pick up recently and it gave Harris a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.
“We’re hoping we have somewhat of a decent month,” Mr. Harris said.
But all eyes are on COVID numbers as they are on the rise in Surprise and all across the state. Mr. Ducey has said he won’t be calling for another non-essential business shutdown, but Mr. Harris is preparing for anything just in case.
“Profit-wise we’ve been hemorrhaging a little bit,” Mr. Harris said. “Can we survive another shutdown? I don’t know.”
Editor’s Note: The Surprise Independent is running a story on a local business as part of a project on YourValley.net highlighting the people behind the companies and their struggles in the ongoing pandemic.
Jason Stone Senior News Editor | Surprise @thestonecave
Meet Jason Jason Stone joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2019, after a distinguished three decade media career that included stops at the Arizona Republic, iHeart Media/Clear Channel and Beckett Sports Card magazine. He remembers when airports sold newspapers.
Community: He is a big supporter of the Valley's original sports team: The Phoenix Suns.
Education: Northern Arizona University with a BS in broadcast journalism and a minor in sports coaching.
Random Fact: The capital of Nebraska is Lincoln.
Hobbies: Surfing, backgammon and men who aren't afraid to cry.
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