Sometimes I will see something catch on here in Taiwan and I have to kind of reverse engineer it in my mind to figure out if that thing is popular in America or Japan and that's why it has become popular here. While I don't know for sure, I'm guessing that among hipsters and geeks, ukuleles have become popular in the states therefore they must become popular here.
Here ukuleles signify both smart business and disappointment. There are plenty of music instrument shops in the city, but unfortunately instruments don't really sell well. There is the stereotype of Asian parents pushing their kids to be music virtuosos but that doesn't really happen in Taiwan. Music lessons are only really forced on children of the upper class here.
Since instrument sales aren't big here, many shops have started selling ukuleles and putting them in the front windows of the shops. It's clever salesmanship because ukuleles do sell. not so much to be played, but almost as an accessory or decoration. people will have them in their house on the wall, or take them with them when they go out on the town, even if they don't know how to play it.
But I can't help but feel a bit a tinge of sadness when I walk by a music shop that has ukuleles in the window. I have worked with a few people who have opened up stores of one sort or another, and the thing they all share is a passion for what they want to sell and a vision for their store. Almost always their passion and their vision isn't what sells the goods, so they have to either change their focus or close up. When I see the ukuleles i can't help but feel that somebody had some strong passion for music and bringing it to the people, only to have to give in and sell ukuleles just to get some people to come in the door.
Well one day i stumbled across this store which only sells ukuleles. It's quite a shock as I know ukuleles are popular, but still they are just ukuleles, not oxygen. I don't see them selling well enough that you could devote a whole store to them, especially when every local shop near somebody's house has them.
That being said, this shop could also be a stroke of genius. Ukuleles come with many different pictures on them, perhaps this is the place people go to get a unique one that nobody has. Although this being Taiwan, you'd want the exact same one that everybody else has, you don't want your ukelele to be different at all. It can't reflect any individuality.
Or perhaps this is the place that provides all the ukuleles to the many music shops around the city. Well I guess there is only one way to find out...just ask. So i'll get back to you in a few years, when my chinese is good enough that I can ask with a tone of interest. I worry that if I go in there in ask in my broken chinese it will sound like i'm being rude, rather than that i'm genuinely fascinated by this store.
