Kansas City's Premiere Electronics
Store for Over 40 Years.
16208 East 23rd Street | Independence, Missouri 64055
816-252-9782
Showroom Hours: Monday-Thursday 10am - 7pm | Friday-Saturday 10am - 6pm
IAV Story
In the late ‘60s, founder Gary Huffman's interest in electonics was growing to a point that it was becomming more than just a hobby. He was building amplifier kits and loudspeakers in his spare time and was always giving advice to friends and family for their electronics, and often purchased items for them. He was always telling others where to get their audio needs. Eventually, he realized that instead of sending his friends to other stores, he would just open a Hi-Fi shop for himself in his basement. In 1971, Gary turned his garage into his warehouse for inventory, and began advertising “Independence Audio” in the Kansas City Star Classifieds. To this day, Independence Audio still has several customers who “bought from the basement” and are pretty proud to tell about it!
Independence Audio turned out to be a huge need in the Kansas City area, and soon Gary’s basement business was booming. He bought a small house-turned-store in Independence as his business grew, and soon after built a larger store in 1978 which is the the site of our current location. Customers would call Gary from all over for good equipment, reliable electronics advice and affordable prices. Independence Audio sold good electronics gear at a great value. This philosophy did well for the store, as it continued to grow and thrive as one of Kansas City's best known electronics stores.
Surviving as a Local Business in Kansas City, MO
As video became popular in the late ‘70s and the invention of the VCR came out by Sony in 1975, we branched into the video market. We also expanded into the car audio market in the ‘80s as car stereos became in high-demand. We’ve continued to evolve our products and services as technology has grown, as we now offer the best HDTVs, 3D TVs, projectors and other electronics that are on the market. From Eight-Track Tape Players to Blu-Ray Disc players, we’ve continued to evolve throughout the years and offer the best technology to our customers.
As big businesses have continued to move into Independence and surrounding suburbs, Independence Audio Video has turned its focus in order to stay competitive. Instead of only offering the same gear that big box stores offer, we expand our product lines to offer something the big retail electronic chains can’t compete with: high-end audio electronics and service.
Our Superior Electronics Expertise
What sets Independence Audio Video apart is our expertise. We have always had electronics enthusiasts work here, as it’s our main prerequisite for hire. Like Gary, many of our staff acquired their audio/video hobbies from an early age and are very passionate about helping our customers find the best electronics for their budget. Because our staff is passionate about electronics, we pass our knowledge to our customers through education on electronics before, during and after the sale. We’re always here to answer any electronics question.
Our Electronics Design Capabilities
Independence Audio Video is also unique in that we’re one of the only Kansas City electronics stores able to design and install your audio/video systems. We can help you choose what to purchase based on your electronics needs. We can then design your entire system and provide professional installations. Because we’re passionate and experienced in all of the electronics we sell, we’re here to help our customers as much as they need. Some customers just want to purchase a TV and take it home; others want an in-depth tutorial and professional installation. Whatever the need, we’re here to help along the way.
Independence Audio Video Today
Today, Independence Audio Video has evolved into a full-service audio video store, specializing in the design and installation of home theater and mobile video systems. We have the most experienced, best-trained staff in the Kansas City area. In our comfortable, laid back showroom, we are very friendly and easy to do business with.
Stop by today to view our Car Audio Galleries, and Home Theater Products. Now a second-generation owned family business, we continue to be the preferred audio/video electronics provider of the Kansas City area.