Unique products, ditto music: Tunify in concept store MUS

A hole in the market, a dream and voila: MUS was born. In the summer of 2018, Merel Hofhuis opened her own concept store in the sociable Dutch city, Utrecht. She chooses to play royalty-free music on Tunify there. Were those both good decisions, Merel? ‘I’m already expanding the business. That says it all, doesn’t it?’

Merel has lived in Utrecht for years. She loves the city, but quirky concept stores like you find in Amsterdam or Antwerp were simply not part of the scene. ‘I’ll just open one myself,’ thought Merel. And so, in just one move, she made the dream of running a store of her own come true.

You’ll find fashion and home accessories at MUS. The clothing, especially Dutch and Scandinavian brands, is aimed at women. But men are just as welcome. Gifts, interior decorations and charming oddities and curiosities fill the shelves.

Music is an extra

Wherever you are in MUS, you hear the same music playing on a Sonos music system. Merel: ‘I think that’s very important. This way, you keep the same atmosphere in every room. I always feel a little uneasy in other stores when there’s absolutely no music on.’

At the same time, Merel knows exactly what she expects from the music in her store. She consciously looked for a music player with royalty-free music. Why? ‘In a jazz bar, you need recognisable jazz numbers. But in MUS, the music is an extra, supporting the experience. A series of hits would actually be a distraction.’

As such, Merel has let loose with unique products and unique music. And there are times when this approach does its job too well: ‘Every now and again, clients talk to me because their smartphones can’t recognise the music that’s playing. So, the unknown tracks also hit the spot. I think it’s great that something like that happens every so often.’