Barney Miller
Barney Miller’s, a fixture in downtown Lexington since 1922, is celebrating its 100th anniversary. The store, founded by Barney Miller of yesteryear, is now being run by the founder’s grandson and namesake, Barney Miller. The business has continually changed with the times and — from radios to integrated electronic systems — kept abreast of the technological curve. Business Lexington spoke with Miller to get the big picture of this deep-rooted Lexington company.
How did Barney Miller’s get its start in downtown Lexington?
My grandfather — the first Barney Miller — was from New Hampshire. He came down to Kentucky and met and married my grandmother, who was from Shelbyville. My grandfather asked his stepfather what was going on in auto parts in Lexington. As the story goes, when my great-grandfather scouted out Lexington there was literally a horse race happening down Main Street. That was about 1919 or 1920. There were maybe one or two car dealers in town at that point.
In June of 1922, my grandfather opened an auto parts business on Main Street. Within a few years, cars started coming with the parts and accessories he was selling. He changed strategies and got into early radios. We believe we sold the first car radio in Kentucky. He started a trend of being an early adopter.
In 1939 we moved a couple doors down Main Street to the building we’re currently in. Upstairs was Congress Bowling Lanes. The stairs going up to our warehouse have Congress Bowling Lanes hand-painted on them.
My dad, Harry Miller, was born the same year the store opened. He went to the University of Kentucky and started working mornings at Barney Miller’s. The family went to the 1939-1940 World’s Fair [themed ‘The World of Tomorrow’ and held in New York City] and saw a very early demonstration of a television. We sold the first TV in Kentucky — to Calumet Farm.
Through the years we’ve done all kinds of different things. At one point we were probably the only place in Lexington that sold records. We had listening booths where customers could play records.
My grandfather passed away in 1965. My father in 1999. They were great guys who left a legacy of customer service, early adoption and civic mindedness. I became president of the company in the early ’80s.
Where is the company’s focus today?
Things are moving at light speed now, as far as technology is concerned. We do a lot to educate ourselves about the current and future markets. About 30 years ago we got started in home systems, before the term ‘home theater’ was coined.
We don’t sell computers, but we sell pretty much everything else, including networks, audio/video equipment, furniture — from seating to racks and stands for equipment — lighting controls, motorized shades, HVAC controls, cameras and alarm systems. After installation comes the work of making sure everything works and is programmed to the customer’s liking.
We have a roughly 7,000-square-foot showroom with six home theater vignettes. One room has a 133-inch screen and an incredible sound system. We’ve got a conference room upstairs. We also have a bit of retail presence still — people can come in and buy an amplifier, a stereo system or a Sonos wireless speaker system — but about 95 percent of our sales are equipment and systems installed by us.
How do these systems work?
For a good-night scene, for example, you can push a button on your phone, iPad or a keypad and it makes sure the garage door is down, it arms the alarm system, it turns off TVs and lights around the house and prepares the house for sleep.
And then there’s an entertainment button, which can adjust window shades, turn on lights to preset levels for the kitchen, dining room, family room and the deck area. It can turn TVs on to ESPN without sound but with music programmed to play. We want to make sure you have just one remote for any TV.
We want you to have just one app on your phone with which you can view your security cameras, adjust your thermostat, change your music, turn on your fireplace or ceiling fans, just about anything you can imagine.
What are some commercial projects you’ve undertaken?
We just did a whole setup for Rubicon, a business in City Center. We did a boardroom and huddle spaces in different offices. We’ve done about 15 conference rooms for Alltech. We’ve done work for Valvoline and the University of Kentucky, restaurants, veterinary clinics — just about any type of business you can imagine.
How did the pandemic affect your business?
I believe the pandemic helped our business. The home theater business in general took a big spike up. Unfortunately, soon thereafter we started seeing back-order problems. We’re encouraging people to order electronics, appliances, furniture and whatever items as far in advance as possible. A whole industry has emerged of groups of dealers exchanging needed products.
What advice do you have for young business owners getting started?
Don’t start a business if you’re scared of work. Make sure you’re very organized. If you have employees, make sure they have good job descriptions and they know exactly what they’re supposed to do. Make sure you’ve got a relationship with a financial institution. You can’t run a company on a credit card, so you need some kind of backing. Make sure you understand accounting numbers or have someone review that with you monthly.
You have to pay attention to where your marketing dollars are spent and what works best. We just did a six-month-long marketing campaign with TV spots, billboards, radio and social media. That’s all great, but really, do-it-yourself local marketing — guerrilla marketing — is also very effective.
Civic engagement, networking and relationship building are also important. The Building Institute of Central Kentucky has been a good relationship for us. We recently hosted a Commerce Lexington group [a networking event celebrating Barney Miller’s 100th Anniversary], which was a great crowd to have here.
What does the future hold for Barney Millers?
I’m 61. My lottery ticket hasn’t quite hit yet, so I’m holding off for a bit on retiring. My stepson, Brent Miller, just started working for us full time. He will be the fourth generation to work here.