Lillo's Music

• Judy Dickson
  
  
  (December 17, 2022, 4:31 pm)

  There is a distinct difference between Consumer Reports & Consumer Reviews. There is also a distinct difference between a Full Consumer Review & the quick Social Media Reviews used to make rapid-fire decisions about which resources to GO TO or which to STAY AWAY from.
  
  A SOCIAL MEDIA REVIEW is,by design,a concise report describing a singular experience with a specific consumer ‘objective.’ It recommends … either directly or by inference … that prospective consumers either SEEK or REJECT involvement accordingly. It’s an extremely useful Social Media Tool … IF said reviews are monitored for accuracy & content. Unfortunately, it’s often used or abused by those seeking self-gratification (ie. unresolved hostility or misplaced benevolence)… so there’s no way to discern if Reviews are as accurate as they may appear. One of the pluses of Consumer Reviews is that they ARE fast answers to simple issues & generally guide consumers to new & viable service that they require. Few people want or need a full extended expose requiring thought & analysis on their part before deciding to use a service or not. They want everything to be ‘on-demand’ … with clear, quick & ready-to-use info at their fingertips.
  
  
  A FULL REVIEW,however,IS required by consumers needing info about things like Program Apps or Course Designs,Book or Play Reviews, New Vehicle Purchases or Travel Reviews or anything else involving exorbitant outlays of monies … they’re basically required for anything that has the potential to alter lifestyle or worldview. In those cases, a more in-depth or historical account is necessary to obtain essential info about specific consumer objectives. That info must be quantifiable & must be able to be substantiated or it is of no value whatsoever.
  
  For Consumer Reviews, just as in everything else in life, there are exceptions to what is & isn’t appropriate for either type of review. Sometimes, as in this particular case, the review happens to be about an establishment that has been serving the public for long-past the half-century mark. It’s simply not possible to portray them accurately with a few short sentences. A singular experience can not possibly represent their long historic record of service. To actually understand whether or not it’s a place to GO TO or to STAY AWAY from requires a Full Review IF somebody is available to provide an accurate depiction of that establishment. It must be somebody who has been closely-involved with that establishment long enough to understand its history,its procedures,its clientale & even the nature of its policies & their impact upon the community they serve within.
  
  
  Rarely is a REVIEW able to provide historic reason that defines anything about ‘why’ or ‘how’ a particular place is the best place to go to look for something that the ordinary consumer’s looking for … especially when that place is a humble retail outlet that only rarely deals with expensive high-end collector’s items more common to auctioneer’s blocks or museum platforms.
  
  I’m in the unusual position of having an intimate knowledge of Lillo’s Music. I’m well-equipped to testify that their abiding dedication to customer satisfaction & experience has been integral to their day-to-day operation throughout the many decades of their existence … that they take personal interest in each & every single customer they come into contact with … that if they don’t have the item in stock that you want they’ll go to incredible lengths to find it for you. That’s only PART of why shopping at Lillo’s is a great experience & one to be pursued.
  
  Lillo’s Music is a small family-run business that not only survives … but THRIVES in a world dedicated to multi-chain locations & mega-corporations that control markets & product availability in every field that I can name … so what is it about Lillo’s that makes it work despite the odds?
  
  The Age Of Technology has restructured nearly all aspects of our lives, eased many hardships & brought a great deal of good into the world … but it’s also suppressing the rights of the individual. Through its necessary devotion to the concept of the ‘average person’, its dedicated researchers have conjured into being this mysterious generic entity & with it their combined forces strive to meet a balance of consumer needs. This forever-unknowable intangible person for whom everything is now ultimately designed is also that same faceless, brainless, unemotional, spiritless & forever unidentifiable person who’s standing right alongside you everywhere you go in modern society … the one for whom all of YOUR user-interface experiences are designed to be used by. Against that, it’s essential that each of us as individuals take steps to preserve our own humanity. We must retain our right to independent thought, feeling & action. We must not lose the curiosity, creativity & compassion that define us as human beings. It can NOT be taken for granted. One day the Age of Technology will sweep right beyond us & we have no way of knowing if that tomorrow will be one where we’ll no longer know HOW to think independently or if it will be one where we’ll not even BE PERMIITTED to think independently. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a concept that nobody has the ability to decipher … not the scientific community & certainly not the world of science fiction. Lillo’s Music is one of the few remaining land-marks standing against that entire dehumanization process. They are part of the essential counter-systems protecting us from the very real evolutionary possibility of human extinction. As much as I’ve thought of myself as a dinosaur cast adrift in the Age of Technology ... I would hate to actually become extinct in the process.
  
  Going to Lillo’s provides an increasingly-rare opportunity to interact with compassionate people who are passionate about what they do in life … triggers your own passions & desires. Speaking to others who are genuinely interested in you & who you are … affirms your self-identify, eliminates loneliness & stimulates your goals, dreams & ambitions. Buying things you want to use to explore the music in your life … commits you to learning the Natural Magics of your Soul. Music, like any form of Art, is a way to turn the intangible into the tangible. It’s a way to make peace with this intangible ‘average person’ that’s become the nemesis of life in a world consumed by technology. It’s a way to preserve our humanity in a world that seeks to strip it from us. THAT is an excellent group of reasons to spend time at Lillo’s Music.
  
  My very first job was working at Lillo's. Way back in 1970, the incredibly warm-hearted Lillo Family took a chance on a kid off the streets & when still only 16 yrs old, I began working as their part-time receptionist. Certainly the job was hard … there were a tremendous bunch of things to learn … but each new step was as enjoyable as the one before it. Seemed no time at all before I was promoted up through the ranks to become full-time Asst. Mgr. & Bookkeeper. By the time I was 18, the owners were finally able to take their long-awaited 1st break from a thriving business they'd never before spent more than a day away from. They disappeared to Hawaii for a few weeks & never contacted me once. At first, I was merely amazed that they'd left me in charge of everything ... but was more astonished than ever when I realized it was because they had implicit trust & faith in me to preserve their legacy on their behalf while they completely ignored it & me & did exactly what people are SUPPOSED to do on a vacation … they relaxed. The trust they placed in me was a priceless gift & I've always cherished it. It means a lot to a kid to know they are truly believed-in … and maybe more still to the adult I grew into. Their return was a welcome celebration & I continued to learn more & more about the successful day-to-day operation of a good business. As I grew older my needs & responsibilities grew with me … when I need an increase in salary they provided one … but they left it up to me to learn how to ask for what I needed. They never attempted to anticipate my needs or to tell me what to do … my personal life was mine alone. I wish more employers understood how well that simple equation works for everyone involved. They did a magnificent job of helping any of their employees whenever they could … whether for a store discount,career decisions,direction to special resources or simply to attend special life ceremonies like a graduation or a wedding. They were always there to share with it all. They extended those same courtesies to many of their close customers & suppliers … they helped neighboring businesses expand & build their client-bases … they participated with the Whyte Avenue Business Associations & occasionally spear-headed projects though their time was already filled with commitments they always managed to meet. Through it all they continued to network with other music agencies … doing anything from booking overflow for some extremely well-known booking agencies to helping struggling new groups find a single booking on some truly difficult touring level. They quietly provided free extra-lessons to promising young students from families with limited incomes … some of whom have since become big names in the music world today. Their client base was far-reaching … from Vancouver to the Territories to Toronto … & it ranged from the well-known & even very famous to a vast sweep of university professors’ families to the learning-challenged children to one displaced senior who couldn’t carry a tune but so dearly-loved the music. They helped everyone who came to them for assistance. I truly never saw them turn anyone away. Anytime they encountered a problem with something they followed through to find its resolution. Consequently, everybody had nothing but good words to speak about them. I kept working at Lillo’s for as many years as I could ... until finally moving on to where I gained a strong education & a very lucrative career with a life that proved to be as interesting as it was diverse. I continued the upward work spiral I’d begun at Lillo’s and moved from Accounting into Systems Analysis into Business Consulting towards the day I finally opened the doors of a successful business of my own. Still, despite all the distractions of a life replete with work & children & pets & sports & creative developments in music, art & a lot of contract writing ... I often returned to my roots. I liked to work part-time hours in their shop when I could … I simply enjoyed the whole atmosphere there so much. It kept me inspired with whatever else I was doing. I never forgot them ... they never forgot me.
  
  
  We stayed in close contact over the years ... largely because of something else that they taught me as a young, impressionable teenager … the most-important lesson I encountered throughout my long years in the workaday world. NEVER stay at a job unless it's something I enjoy doing ... and NEVER be afraid of trying something new! I discovered that when I like what I’m doing I appreciate the chance to do it more … that others take note & appreciate me more & more & good relationships develop as a result. That combination always fills me with a sense of personal worth & value that makes a positive difference to the world & to the people around me. I maintained that same healthy work attitude every single day that I stayed at a job. I never had to pursue the materialistic goals in life … they always came to me as a natural result of doing what I believed in. Rewards always speak for themselves. When we do things we like, we tend to do them well. When a job’s done well … success follows success as we get better & better at whatever it is we’re doing. All the fringe benefits that come with that type of progress merely reinforces how good we feel about what we do. That lesson carried me with ease across both the corporate & the volunteer sectors of society. It took me into many intriguing adventures & experiences from which I developed skills & abilities that have defined a life filled with challenge & diversity. I’ve held fast to my beliefs & enjoyed everything I did because I took that early lesson to heart. Now, as a senior, I’m still learning creative adaptations of those same basic principles to redefine the intricacies of my ‘retirement years.’ Its concepts keep me young & involved with the world no matter what adversities time throws at me. I’ve never lost that ability to appreciate others & my relationship with them. Everyday is a new adventure awaiting exploration. It's a lesson I made sure my children understood --- it’s a lesson I still pass on whenever opportunity presents. More people would be satisfied with their lives if they followed the simple maxim that a GOOD job is a job that you enjoy doing & when you do it well then what you do is appreciated by others. Life then becomes a delight instead of a chore to be dealt with.
  
  Throughout all these many years, the Lillo’s have maintained an outstanding relationship with their customers, with their employees, with their business associates & especially with one another. They are as unique & as eclectic as Whyte Avenue itself. They've networked throughout the Greater Edmonton Community to build bridges across more genres & more fields of endeavor than most people are even aware exist. After an unusually long time without direct contact, I happened to stroll into their store unannounced just last week. It was as if I'd never been away & I was as welcomed as I’d always been. Lillo’s will ALWAYS be Lillo’s. There's always a GOOD DEAL to be made ... there's always JUST ONE MORE QUESTION TO ANSWER ... and there's always a new twist on an old invite to 'LET’S GIVE THE WORLD A SPIN!" Anybody who's ever visited knows these things are their trademark. They truly enjoy people … enjoy their work & share that enthusiasm with any they encounter. They’ve forged a Family Tradition that's the true secret for their monumental success ... a Family Tradition that's now being upheld by a NEWER generation ... one that I was lucky enough to watch growing up around me.
  
  If you've never been to visit Lillo's Music then please make sure you do so soon ... & if you haven't been there for awhile make sure to do so just as soon as you can. They’ll be purely delighted to see you either way. There's really no other place on earth quite like it. It's a treat just to be part of it all ... no matter how long or short your stay may be. And they REALLY like it when you buy something too!

• Tim Smith on Google
  
  
  (August 18, 2018, 4:06 pm)

  I was looking for parts to modify my guitar. Lillo's Music had the parts I needed and more. Great store, great staff! Highly recommended!!

• Maxine Smart on Google
  
  
  (June 6, 2018, 7:02 am)

  Great store and friendly staff! I like the variety of instruments and music books. There is an amazing vintage guitar display. I have brought several different instruments in for service over the years and have always been very happy with the work that was done.

• Eve Nord on Google
  
  
  (March 11, 2018, 12:26 am)

  I just purchased my first acoustic guitar from Lillo's Music! This is a charming family run music store with a lot of character and history. The saleswoman was very helpful and informative. I got a great guitar, a case, guitar strap, tuner and some books. My next plan is to sign up for some guitar lessons here. I felt very welcome and comfortable here--I highly recommend this business.

Lillo's Music - Home | Facebook

Lillo's Music, Edmonton, AB. 815 likes. Lillo's School of Modern Music Ltd. was established 1963. ... +1 780-433-0138. Contact Lillo's Music on Messenger. www ...

: Lillo's Music - Edmonton Music Stores - Lessons ...

Lillo's Music has many more items available that are not listed on these pages. Please call us at 780.433.0138 or toll free at 1.866.433.0138 for shipping rates or for more product information.

Lillo's Music in Edmonton, AB - fyple.ca

Lillo's Music; Add your business for free + Contact. Address: 10848 Whyte Avenue Edmonton AB T6E 2B3 Canada. Phone number: (780) 433-0138 WebSite: www.lillosmusic.com ...

Lillo's Music - YouTube

Lillo's Music also offers professional in house repairs! Lillo's Music 10848 - 82nd Avenue Edmonton, Alberta Canada T6E 2B3 Telephone: (780) 433-0138 Toll Free: 1-866-433-0138 Show more Show less

Lillo's Music - 10848 82 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB - YP.ca

Lillo's Music - Edmonton - phone number, website & address - AB - Musical Instrument Stores.

Lillo's Music - Edmonton, Alberta - Musical Instrument ...

Lillo's Music specializes in sales, lessons and rentals with exceptional customer service. Lillo's Music also offers professional in house repairs!" See: Looking for something in particular you can call ahead: (780) 433-0138

Lillo's Music - Old Strathcona

780-433-0138; Company Website; 10848 Whyte Avenue ... Information Media. Lillo's Music/Lillo's School of Modern Music Ltd is a family owned and operated professional ...

Lillo's Music - Musical Instruments & Teachers - 10848 - 82 ...

Phone number (780) 433-0138 ... Lillo's Music was started in 1963 by Vic and Doreen Lillo. This was an exciting time in music with the boom of rock and roll! (Elvis ...

Lillo's Music, Edmonton AB | Ourbis

Lillo's Music at 10848 82 Avenue NW, Edmonton AB T6E 2B3, 866-433-0138