Sticking with it

David and Alma Wilson must be doing something right. They’ve been married for 50 years, and for 36 years, they’ve owned and operated Accent on Music on Main Street in Mount Kisco, New York, about an hour north of New York City. In a recent, lively Zoom conversation with the Wilsons, it became apparent that staying the course is a viable approach, for marriage and for business.

- BY JULIE MULLINS

Ever since Accent opened in 1989, David and Alma have stayed true to their values and preferences. They sell vinyl records. They never stopped, even when cassettes and then CDs took over, and it seemed as if vinyl had no future. They still carry many of the brands they took on when they started out: Linn, Rega, Naim. Equipment from the UK—England and Scotland in particular—is especially close to David’s heritage and heart. They have since added Fyne Audio, from Scotland.

David was born in Scotland, in Glasgow. He was living in Edinburgh in the early 1970s when he met Alma, a native New Yorker. They’ve been a couple since 1973 and married since 1975. In 1979, David took a job at the legendary Lyric Hi-Fi, working for the legendary Michael Kay.¹ “I took roots because he gave me a great job,” David said. “He was a genuinely cool guy. I ended up being ‘that damned, son-of-a-bitch Scotsman who only liked the good stuff.’”

Fast forward a decade. David decided he would be happier selling equipment he would want to take home himself. Alma encouraged him. Accent on Music was born.

Simple as it is, there are some things to unpack in the store’s name. First, it’s a statement of values: The focus is on music and its proper reproduction. “Accent,” of course, is a musical term. Finally, David still has his Scottish accent.