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Grand Idea, Rich. The “no drinks around pianos†and a few steely eyed sales folk/bouncers keep the drinks in the eating and drinking area. We used to have a Harley shop that was attached to a small pub type cafe with indoor tables and outdoor picnic area. You couldn’t take any food or drinks around the bikes on display. You were free to leave your food on the table and clean your hands before sitting on any bike. The new Harley shop serves coffee at small tables and you of course put it down before sitting on a bike. They also serve hot dogs, chips, and a coke for $2 outside the store where you can walk around and check out the used bikes parked outside. Car dealers serve free pizza and soda on weekend and you can take food to scattered tables inside and outside. But naturally no pizza when you sit in their cars or trucks. Sales folk police the no food in new vehicles policy. Or even a microbrewery that serves typical bar fare in a clear area dining area and have some of your local pianist talent play your latest “featured grands†on Friday night. Have them play for about an hour or so, when the customers are done eating they can stick around to try some of your new or used pianos.
Bouncers in piano stores ,J&J can you just imagine . "but I just put my beer on the Bosendorfer "
Last edited by Lady Bird; 10/03/1909:11 PM. Reason: Spelling
Grand Idea, Rich. The “no drinks around pianos†and a few steely eyed sales folk/bouncers keep the drinks in the eating and drinking area. We used to have a Harley shop that was attached to a small pub type cafe with indoor tables and outdoor picnic area. You couldn’t take any food or drinks around the bikes on display. You were free to leave your food on the table and clean your hands before sitting on any bike. The new Harley shop serves coffee at small tables and you of course put it down before sitting on a bike. They also serve hot dogs, chips, and a coke for $2 outside the store where you can walk around and check out the used bikes parked outside. Car dealers serve free pizza and soda on weekend and you can take food to scattered tables inside and outside. But naturally no pizza when you sit in their cars or trucks. Sales folk police the no food in new vehicles policy. Or even a microbrewery that serves typical bar fare in a clear area dining area and have some of your local pianist talent play your latest “featured grands†on Friday night. Have them play for about an hour or so, when the customers are done eating they can stick around to try some of your new or used pianos.
Bouncers in piano stores ,J&J can you just imagine . "but I just put my beer on the Bosendorfer "
They have security in Guitar Center. I think a big burly guy in a leather vest could keep folks with beer away from the Bosendorfers with just that “lookâ€.
J & J Estonia L190 Hidden Beauty Casio Privia P230 At least half the waiters in Nashville play better than I
I agree, nothing so funny as someone running away from a Bösendorfer with a beer glass in his hand and a man with a taser after him ! Where do we buy the tickets J&J ? I wonder if I could rather have champagne? Are you having a beer ?
The store where I bought my piano subsequently renovated to turn the entrance of their premises into a cafe: link to the cafe page on their website You walk through the cafe seating to get to the pianos and guitars etc.
I don't find it helpful for piano shopping - I visited once and the cafe portion of the store had music playing, and there's naturally a bit of noise from making coffee, people talking etc. Personally I'd prefer not to have the noise or the extra people present when evaluating pianos - what if I'm disturbing their conversations by making an unpleasant piano-testing racket? However, that's just me, and this store is a business who must know what they're doing - perhaps the cafe is more profitable than using that same floor space for a few more pianos or racks of sheet music?
I agree, nothing so funny as someone running away from a Bösendorfer with a beer glass in his hand and a man with a taser after him ! Where do we buy the tickets J&J ? I wonder if I could rather have champagne? Are you having a beer ?
Hi LadyBird- I haven’t heard of such a piano store yet, unless Rich tries something like that. 😄 If I’m looking at Bosendorfers, I’d stick with coffee or a single beer. Champagne goes to my head and I’d might buy a much more expensive gorgeous piano than I have room or money for. Unless you promise to stop my foolishness 🤣.
J & J Estonia L190 Hidden Beauty Casio Privia P230 At least half the waiters in Nashville play better than I
What I liked about the idea of a cafe or pub as part of a music store is that the music store could hold monthly evening or weekend jam sessions featuring local artists. People would go to the event to have a bite and maybe a beer and be entertained. There would be something to keep previous customers coming back and something for new potential customers to experience. The monthly entertainment keeps people interested and in the loop. If I’m trying out pianos, I could maybe take some time in the cafe to get a cheeseburger with homemade potato chips (totally irresistible) for the family discussion about who liked what piano best and consider how much we really want to spend. Just kind of a twist on the typical piano lessons in the piano store to keep people interested in visiting and spending time listening and looking at pianos. If nothing else, if the food is good, the cafe could help cover the slow traffic times in the music store. BTW, I’ve never owned a cafe or a music store so more experienced people here on PW can of course correct my complete naivety.
J & J Estonia L190 Hidden Beauty Casio Privia P230 At least half the waiters in Nashville play better than I
Champagne goes to my head and I’d might buy a much more expensive gorgeous piano than I have room or money for.
I think this is likely the goal and the main idea of mixing alcohol and piano shopping. Alcohol is a depressant and dulls the senses to the point of slowed reaction time and impaired memory and mental sharpness. Get em' drunk and sell em' an expensive piano.
My dad always told me that a drunk is attracted to music. A good combination/strategy for piano sales. (just kidding! )
I don't drink alcoholic beverages myself. Seen too many alcoholics that couldn't control their habit and abused and mistreated everyone in their life, and beyond. Don't care to be around a belligerent drunk, or any drunk.
I agree with Sally Phillips... alcohol consumption and piano stores is not a good mix. Bars typically have a good source of music for those who love to drink, dance and party till they provoke a fight, puke on someone and wake up the next morning with a hangover and a few less healthy brain cells... or worse, kill some innocent person and, or themselves while driving home drunk.
Well, Rich, you wanted thoughts and ideas, and those are mine, for better or worse.
Rick
Piano enthusiast and amateur musician: "Treat others the way you would like to be treated". Yamaha C7. YouTube Channel
However, that's just me, and this store is a business who must know what they're doing - perhaps the cafe is more profitable than using that same floor space for a few more pianos or racks of sheet music?
That would be my guess. It would seem to me that a wall would be a good investment to keep the two businesses separate and make it easier for piano shoppers to concentrate on the task.
I agree, nothing so funny as someone running away from a Bösendorfer with a beer glass in his hand and a man with a taser after him ! Where do we buy the tickets J&J ? I wonder if I could rather have champagne? Are you having a beer ?
Hi LadyBird- I haven’t heard of such a piano store yet, unless Rich tries something like that. 😄 If I’m looking at Bosendorfers, I’d stick with coffee or a single beer. Champagne goes to my head and I’d might buy a much more expensive gorgeous piano than I have room or money for. Unless you promise to stop my foolishness 🤣.
Well If you mean I can stop myself being foolish and and spending all my life savings on a Bösendorfer I better stick to water. You can have your beer or I can give you a tranquilizer ! You may need it after meeting me ! I usually drive people crazy or to despair ?
It seems some large business office suites include a small coffee service suite and some tables or chairs for customers convenience. I guess for a piano store, I’d be happy with a stocked Keurig station and chilled half and half to sip while I wait perched on the cheap plastic chairs at the front of the store. Next to the slim selection of sheet music. It’s just me but if I’m buying a piano, which is usually a pretty nice chunk of change, why don’t they have a waiting area witH maybe a couple comfortable couches, a coffee table, and nice books showing “the Sauter Piano History†with beautiful pictures? It seems more piano stores around here go for the warehouse motif.
J & J Estonia L190 Hidden Beauty Casio Privia P230 At least half the waiters in Nashville play better than I
Sauter Piano History ? History ,Sauter pianos are very much alive J&J ? I could Say things Too........ You getting at me deliberately? Really the warehouse Motif ? Well thank goodness for Tom lee and Showcase pianos, in Vancouver they prep thier pianos so well ! You mean they leave part of the packaging inside the Bosendorfer's ???
Last edited by Lady Bird; 10/04/1904:46 PM. Reason: Extra word
Floor space is at a premium in retail. I have sporadic events at my store all the time but they are timed events. 7PM to 9PM or Sunday afternoon for a couple of hours for a recital. Mixing products for sale might work really great for guitars. Let's see where they are in 2 years. I am reminded of one of the worst combination retail efforts I have ever seen when a fellow opened a store selling perfume and wood stoves. It died before it made it to Christmas.
Sally Phillips Owner/ Technician Piano Perfect, LLC Columbus, GA
Sauter Piano History ? History ,Sauter pianos are very much alive J&J ? I could Say things Too........ You getting at me deliberately? [...]
I think that you must misunderstand the word "history" in this context, because it sounds as if you are taking offence at the reference. "History," in this context, has nothing to do with the demise of a brand, but rather an explanation of how a brand came to be, how it has lasted and how it continues to flourish, the latter of which is certainly the case with the Sauter brand.
Steinway has a beautiful, large, coffee-table book published for Steinway in 1989 by Chronicle Books of San Francisco, in which the history - i.e. development and growth - of the piano brand is laid out in text and beautiful photographs.
This suggestion by J & J, I believe, was actually a very positive comment on Sauter.
Thank you Bruce ! You did help.I was just slightly disturbed , slightly paranoid strangely because of some history of Sauter conflicts on PW . It was not serious as I know J&J is a nice peaceful person who not passive aggressive in nature. Sorry J&J for getting all prickly again about Sauter ! Sorry to Rich for being OT and saying such things ! Thank you again to Bruce.
Sauter Piano History ? History ,Sauter pianos are very much alive J&J ? I could Say things Too........ You getting at me deliberately? Really the warehouse Motif ? Well thank goodness for Tom lee and Showcase pianos, in Vancouver they prep thier pianos so well ! You mean they leave part of the packaging inside the Bosendorfer's ???
No offense meant. I was thinking of a lovely coffee table book fully illustrated on the long fine history of Sauter pianos with beautiful pictures. I thought you would love looking at it at a piano store. Warehouse motif - is the general layout of the piano stores near me. Little decore, kinda like a Costco for Pianos. I absolutely was not picking on you, Sauter, or your two lovely uprights, or even your local piano stores. Probably much different than what I’ve seen around here. Thank you BruceD!
J & J Estonia L190 Hidden Beauty Casio Privia P230 At least half the waiters in Nashville play better than I
I like the movie theaters that sell food and drinks!
I'm reminded of businesses that start off doing one thing, but find another more profitable. Like the Discovery channel showing "reality" shows, or Headline News showing cold cases round the clock.
You might discover that selling drinks is more profitable than selling pianos.
I like the movie theaters that sell food and drinks!
I'm reminded of businesses that start off doing one thing, but find another more profitable. Like the Discovery channel showing "reality" shows, or Headline News showing cold cases round the clock.
You might discover that selling drinks is more profitable than selling pianos.
There’s certainly a lot more bars and coffee shops around than piano stores, which would mean there be a lot more competition selling drinks than there is selling pianos. Discovery channel majors in reality shows just like the History Channel, the Learning Channel and A&E. I’m not sure if these shows are all on HLN but there’s tons cold case homicide shows. And Locked Up Abroad, “I almost got away with it†and tours around State prisons narrated by Paul Sorvino. Mafia’s greatest hits on America Hero Channel. Things do keep changing. 🥺
J & J Estonia L190 Hidden Beauty Casio Privia P230 At least half the waiters in Nashville play better than I
Well I know Cunningham is a wonderful store with incredible pianos like Bösendorfer.I know that the store has a wonderful reputation and a rich history of piano service.I thought I once read on PW that they once sold Sauter pianos as well ? Perhaps I was mistaken. Perhaps a nice coffee store near the entrance to the piano gallery., Still sticky fingers ?
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