Our Story
Creative Stereo HD has been evolving in the local Community for over 35 years.
Founded in Chicago in the 30’s as a radio and appliance store it’s founder believed that in order to be successful you needed two things – premium products and premium service. Over time the founder’s son took over the business and grew the company into several Audio/Video retail stores located in urban shopping malls. In The late 70’s, after visiting Santa Barbara on vacation, the son decided that harsh winters in Chicago were over and the Californian era began.
In 1978 Creative Stereo & Video was established in Southern California and during the next couple of decades would open several retail locations up and down the coast from Santa Maria to Thousand Oaks, growing to over ten locations. As big box chain stores entered into Southern California Creative Stereo took a bold approach by deliberately moving several stores into the same shopping centers as the competition, proving what the founder always knew, quality people and quality products would prove successful.
Once the internet boom hit our industry it became a very cut throat business. Many smaller outfits like ours were struggling to keep up with the war between big box stores and the online black market sales. Many of our colleagues were forced out of businesses closing their doors. The days of being a quality brick and mortar retail store with traditional ways of doing business were now becoming extinct.
Continuing to Change With The Times
Now in our 3rd generation, we have redefined ourselves once again by exiting the traditional retail business plan and pursuing a much more personnel experience where our experts come to your home. We have learned that our clients want our traditional way of doing business. They seek our quality service and our quality products and have learned that saving a few dollars up front almost always costs in lack of service and disappointment in the future.
Now operating as Creative Stereo HD (Home Design) we are enjoying the flexibility of offering free in-home consultation and bids, we hold true to our founders basic beliefs:
Premium Service: Some of our clients after working with our team were so impressed with the experience they hired us to do other homes they owned in other areas. This focus on service has expanded our geographic reach, allowing us to complete projects in places as far as San Francisco and Bakersfield.
Premium Products: We continue to provide our clients with the highest quality name brands to give them the best possible user experience. Ensuring our clients have the best products to fit their home entertainment needs is our specialty.
The Personal Touch
Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.
– Theodore Roosevelt
Our current business model sees a handful of dedicated people working well together for the benefit of our clients. Sean personally takes all incoming calls and does all scheduling and ordering. Our installers are focused on installing and training our clients on how to use their home entertainment & automation systems.
There are businesses out there with one man doing everything. Wearing all the hats in the company usually results in broken promises as they fail to keep up with the demands of a growing business. Our goal is to be available for our past, current and future clients in a matter that is respectful of their time and shows commitment to our relationships with them.
Looking back over the history of our company and industry we have seen much change and most of our clients feel technology has become complicated and difficult to use. We are a small business who pride ourselves in making sophisticated systems easy to operate, use and enjoy. We look forward to working with you in the near future.
Sean Hausken
Chief Home Theater Fanatic