Welcome to the latest update and Happy new year! The showroom was so busy during December that I didn’t even get time to write an end of year update and wish everyone Happy Christmas. Now we are out the other side and getting back into our working routines I can only hope that you all enjoyed the Festive break with much celebration and seasonal music. The short days of January and February can be a bit gloomy for some, what better way to improve mood than to play our pianos of an evening, there is no sound better in a home than that of a piano

As I have just mentioned, December was extremely and surprisingly busy in the showroom. We were expecting a quiet end of year with the effects of Brexit and the general election approaching. Most of us in the trade had battened down the hatches, withdrawn internet adverts and poured a glass of wine… however, against the odds the piano trade suddenly sprung into life! Colleagues in Wales, Scotland, the North of England and the South all reported a sudden increase in visitors to their showrooms and subsequent sales. To a certain extent this caused havoc with the trade with suppliers, retailers and transport companies put under pressure. Thankfully, we were able to fulfil every order with all deliveries completed by Christmas Eve thanks to Tobie who added an extra day of deliveries on the 23^rd. This up turn could never have been predicted but was very welcome by all in the trade, it demonstrates how the piano trade seems to operate in a world of its own at times, I often say to the team ‘enjoy the quiet times and look forward the busy times’. 

When I last wrote an update we had only just had the open day for the showroom extension. Since then we have really enjoyed having the extra space and I am very pleased with the decision to go ahead with the extension. The presentation of our pianos, particularly the grand pianos, has been greatly improved  further enhancing the experience of visiting the showroom, something that is so important to me. Pianos across all of our ranges have been selected with many Kawai grand pianos and also a number of the hybrid Kawai AURES models being purchased. The AURES pianos are fantastic, a proper acoustic piano with a silent and digital function that can be played through headphones or an inbuilt speaker. You can even play a digital sound at the same time as the acoustic piano! The Ronisch uprights that we had purchased at the time of writing the last update have all sold, replacements are on order from this highly impressive range. Grotrian-Steinweg uprights and Wilh. Steinberg pianos have all been selected in this period with stock re-ordered immediately. We have also had some great used pianos that have seemed to come in just at the right time to find suitable homes, currently we have two modern Schimmel uprights and a modern Yamaha grand piano that will make excellent purchases for someone.

I have just finished the round of tuning at schools that always proceeds the start of a new term. It is always a bit of a tuning marathon but a great way to sharpen the ear and get back into the work routine. Despite enjoying the Christmas break I am always happy to get back to pianos with the wonderful mix of tuning and showroom that I enjoy. Vicky and John are back tuning with full schedules, Richard is off for a few weeks having had a steroid injection in a thumb, he will be back in action mid-January. Michelle is busy at the showroom, working to keep the tuning diaries updated and generally assisting in all aspects of the business. Sharad is working hard behind the scenes to keep the web site updated and visible and Tobie is busy delivering our pianos after they have been selected. I am very lucky to thoroughly enjoy my business and to have excellent people around me to make it work to the high standards that we set.

I say it in every update, all visitors are welcome, just contact myself or Michelle to arrange to visit the showroom

All the best for 2020

Ben