Lyric's Owners And Staff Answer To Customers, Not Stockholders

Michael Kay Founder Leonard Bellezza Co-Owner Daniel Mondoro Co-Owner

Roots that reach back to 1959 make independently owned Lyric a true oasis in an age of large retailers whose employees lack knowledge and the responsibility to customers that we take pride in.

Over the decades, countless Lyric clients have become a family, and we continue to offer new and old patrons alike—people from around the US, Europe, Asia and South America—the most informed advice and highly personalized service.

Lyric’s distinct and distinguished personality is in part due to its founder, Michael Kay, who was schooled in electronic engineering in his native Greece before emigrating to America. Mirroring Mike’s passion for music and his demanding nature, Lyric has always featured state-of-the-art equipment, and its experts created some of the very first remote-controlled audio installations.

Before long, equipment designers were bringing their prototypes to Lyric for evaluation, and high end component fans were returning on a regular basis to hear the newest amplifier or speaker.

In 2004, Mike Kay, by then in his early eighties, sold Lyric, but there has been far more continuity than change. That's because the new owners were formerly Mike’s key employees: Leonard Bellezza, who had already logged 27 years with the company, and Dan Mondoro, who had put in 20. There is also, as always, a skilled support staff at customers’ disposal, and Mike continues to spend time at the Manhattan store, which is just two blocks up Lexington Avenue from Lyric's first location.