Follow along as we share some of the unique history of Perfectionist Auto Sound and Security. We have been around for quite some time, but the store you see today is nothing like what you would have seen 20 years ago. Over the last several years, we’ve learned a lot from the good times and the hard times, and grown even more.
Way Back When …
John Schwartz, the current owner of our store, has worked for Perfectionist for the past 18 years and has been the owner since 2008. He grew up in North Carolina “where bass was invented.” When he was 14 years old, he worked at a sandwich joint next door to a stereo shop. One day, a guy pulled up in his car with his bass booming so loud that the windows shook. John had never heard anything like it. That day, he decided that he wanted to work on cars, and specifically learn all about stereo systems. The next day, he walked in the stereo shop and begged for a job. They offered to let him come around and help out with cleaning and sweeping. But over time, John learned quite a bit about car audio and electronics.
When John was 16 years old, he moved to Alaska, where right away he was considered the “stereo guy.” During his high school years, he even opened up a shop called the Sound Doctor in his mom’s yard. It was common to see three or four cars in their driveway at a time, having their radios and sound systems worked on. Then at the age of 18, he was hired at the biggest shop in town, called Safe and Sound, where he grew his knowledge and skills even more. He worked there until he got a job with Compustar in September of 1999.
A New Beginning for Perfectionist
At one point, our shop was called Perfectionist Car Care. We did everything from car detailing to running a limousine service. However, there wasn’t much vision for the business and it showed through. At that time, it was owned by Jason Lee, the founder of Compustar. With Compustar growing so rapidly, Perfectionist was in the backseat. John Schwartz joined the Compustar team in ’99 as head technician. Shortly after, Jason sent John over to Perfectionist to check things out and see – in a sense, spy on the employees – what was going on in their store. What he found wasn’t very good. Things were constantly being broken and inventory was being stolen, among other problems.
John and Jason met up for dinner and began talking about Perfectionist and where it was headed. It didn’t look like the store was going to make it much longer. That day, Jason decided to fire all of the employees and hand the store over to John. This was the beginning of a new chapter for Perfectionist.
Learning Through Experience is the History of Perfectionist
John, a 23-year-old with no business experience, was now running a store. It didn’t take long for him to realize what needed to change to see this business have more success. Over the next 10 years, he built up his team and made a new name for himself. He put a lot of effort into making sure each client was treated with excellent care every time they stopped by our shop. This was a new thing for Perfectionist, but over time, our town realized we had really stepped up our game.
There were a lot of headaches and lessons learned in those first years. It took time to hire a team that carried the same vision for Perfectionist that John did. Through a lot of trial and error, a great team was developed and our name began to grow.
Exponential Growth and Celebrating Goals Met
Now called Perfectionist Auto Sound and Security, we put our focus on three main things: car audio, remote starters and lighting. We decided to stick with what we were good at, and it’s definitely paid off.
We eventually began to outgrow the location we were in, so when the landowner offered us the lot across the street, we couldn’t resist the offer. We began the building of the 6,000-square-foot shop that we have today. On October 6, 2006, we celebrated moving into the shop we used to dream of, which had now become a reality.
Things were going better than we could have ever imagined until the economy crashed in 2009. This may have been the hardest year Perfectionist had ever seen. The summer months dragged on and the credit cards were maxed out as a last resort. Thankfully, when winter rolled around again, there was also a turning of a page for our store and business began to pick back up.
The Perfectionist Auto Sound and Security You See Today
Today, Perfectionist Auto Sound and Security is one of the best-known car audio shops in the nation. Remaining humble and willing to learn from our mistakes has gotten us where we are today. We have received many incredible awards for our service and work. In 2011 and 2015, we were named Retailer of the Year, one of the most sought-after awards in our industry. We also won Top Retailer for Compustar this year and every year since 2005.
One of the biggest things we are known for now is our incredible service. Each and every client who comes in our store is greeted with a smile, given a tour of our facility and handed a Perfectionist water bottle. If we have the pleasure of working on your vehicle, we are always sure to give it back in better condition than we received it and you’ll even get a hand-written thank-you card in the mail from our team.
Stop by Our Store
From one of the worst to becoming one of the best, we are proud of what we’ve built over the years. We have learned a lot throughout the history of Perfectionist Auto Sound and Security. Contact us HERE, or stop by our store in Anchorage, Alaska, today!
