All of these have been done over the years, most of them we still, and will continue to do. Okay, so now we have this idea for a Music Store. Now where we gonna put it? Okay now I know Ottumwa Iowa is not the best place in the world but I've been told it's not the worst place either. Along about this time, (spring of 1989) the city of Ottumwa announced that, " A Mall was to be Built! In Ottumwa even!"

Naturally since we hadn't decide on a location for our Music Store yet.

I looked into what was is now the "Quincy Place Mall", as a possible birthplace for Soundwaves. Now if I knew then, what I know now, I still would have still done it. Just a little bit differently. I would have sought out more Legal advice at least on the lease part of it anyway. Other than that, I am glad that we had the time we did have in the mall. I am even Prouder of the fact that we are no longer there, and to the fact that we have nothing at all to do it now.

Explanation of above statement.

The first five years were great but everything we made went toward being in the Mall, not towards my family's future or me. It wasn't ours. Our rent was in excess of a grand a month and with no option to buy? Nothing, just a location.

So for five years I worked, paid the over priced rent and survived. Yet my hired help sometimes made more than I did, and the landlord was always making more than me, I was gaining nothing. Was I really working for them or myself? Since my manager, (who I also thought of as a friend) and me, had built up a very good reputation we thought that by relocating, which would cut our overhead in more than half. We would be able to grow and branch out. Now if you cut the overhead cost in half, add a nice chunk of real estate to your assets, plus add the fact that I would not have to tolerate anymore of the Mall's BullShit like Music being too L-O-U-D and other unbelievable shit! You know they took us to court and tried to evict us once.

Get this, on the grounds that an overage payment was late.

Definition-Overage Payment-You made this much. Everything over, Becomes age payment to us. Hence Over-Age Payment.

Get it? Neither did I. Mind you the Judge threw it out because they had received and accepted payments, on prior occasions that were much later than the one they said was late. Anyway, it was now clear to me that by leaving the mall we would,

I could go on & on about this, but in the end the results showed, that the pros out weighed the cons, So we moved. To Soundwaves New Location

2122 N. Court

Shortly after we moved in my Manager for over five years became strangely sick. Come to find out He had to have a Brain tumor removed from the stem of his brain. This not only changed him but it changed his whole out look on life, friends and family alike. Between the time it took to discover it and the time it took to have surgery and recover, and get back to work at Soundwaves he was gone 4 or 5 months.

In the time he was having these problems we continued to pay him his full salary. We even helped him out by throwing a fundraiser. We put together some local bands to raise money to try and offset his medical bills. We all know about deductibles and insurance companies now don't we? For the 4 or 5 months he was gone my wife and me worked the store and found out that we really didn't need him. However, when he was well enough he came back to work. For about two or three months everything was just fine. Then…shit once again hit the fan.

I'm not going into big details on this, I'll just say that Norwest was not the best place to do Banking at. Had a ballooning interest loan due and had to find extra cash somewhere. My biggest expense was payroll. It made up 48% of all of our overhead cost. So I explained the complete situation to him.

Told him that I would still wanted him to work for me, but I could no longer afford him to make 48% of the profit. By this time he was on salary, so he decided that he'd just sit back and collect his unemployment and wait for me to call him back to work.

I have never spoke to him again. I called several times to see if he wanted some hours but he would never return any of my calls. Not even once did he call. Not even just to say hello, or to see how things are, you know kind a like what friends might do to each other.

Then one day I found out through a customer that he was planning on opening his own store back in the mall. In fact he had been planning on it ever since we had moved out of the mall. Planning it while still working for me. He took contacts that I had taken over five years to get. Took ever bit of knowledge that I had taught him, even paid him to learn, and was now going to try and use it against me. Know I have heard that he justifies this by saying its just Business. I reply, was it just business when you got your Christmas bonus? Just Business when I helped you buy your first home? Or was it friendship that threw the fundraiser to raise cash for you? Had he said something like, " I think you made a mistake by leaving the Mall" or something, anything it wouldn't have bothered me. Hell I could have and would have helped him in anyway I could, and he knows this. I would have done it just to get even with the Mall, and its possible we would have both benefited from it.But not a word was spoken. Nothing...Notta...Not even a peep.

Then one day it's official, I see in the newspaper where he is open. I found out later that the reason it took him so long is that every Bank in town had turned him down for a loan. Seems the Banking in Ottumwa had better morales than he did. Because of what this person I called a friend did, I lost faith in the human race that day. It will be hard for me to trust someone, anyone like I done in the past.It seems that people will do just about anything to you, when it comes down to money. It's scary!

I feel for them because if you can't trust family, friends, let alone yourself, who can you trust? How could you ever feel safe?

But now, once again I have found something to drive me. Drive me even harder, to assure the fact that I keep that feeling I cherish so. keep it alive and in my life. So far my life has I has been blessed with its presence, it has always been around. So when either his lease runs out, or On-Cue, and or the Intranet, drives him out of the business you can be a sure of one thing for certain that Soundwaves will perserver.

We are about to have our 10^th Anniversary. I wish thank everyone that has shown their support to Soundwaves over the years. Starting with LP's and Tape, going to Compact Disc and VHS. Now DVD and Mp3's Soundwaves has always changed with the times. Just as when we started No one else in town besides Wal-Mart had Music for sale. Now we have 5 to 6 different places to find it locally for sale. Plus you have the Intranet and online buying. Then of coarse you have Napster and all the other mp3 places you can get all the free Music you want on the Net. If you haven't noticed by now. One thing is for sure, and that’s no matter what,

Soundwaves will perserver over all. Better yet,