I [Steven Wasser, owner of Powell] felt like here was an opportunity to buy a 103-year old company at a very fair price, with very good quality instruments,
and rejuvenate the brand.
MMR: Will you ultimately be fielding a full range of instruments, from student through professional?
SW: We're probably going to be in what I'll call the "advanced student" segment up through professional.
How we rationalize what gets the Sonaré brand vs. what gets the Blessing brand is still a somewhat open question. I think that in the true beginner student segment - the $99 flute you can buy at Costco and the like - we can't compete with that. But we will be very strong in the areas we can compete in.
Our strategy is "Made in U.S.A." Anything that's going to have the Blessing name on it will be made in America. -- from Musical Merchandise Review, Feb 2010