A New Beginning for Sunflower State MI Retailer
In April of this year, Kansas City Piano officially opened its doors at a new location in Overland Park.
“Kansas City Piano was in a small location west of this area,” explains store manager Mike Vaccaro. “When Schmitt Music left this store here, which was obviously already set up as a piano store – with a recital facility… I mean, the place is perfect, and much bigger than the other store, plus a much better location. So, it was kind of a no-brainer to come here.”
The 8,500-square-foot piano showroom located at 7316 W 119th Street had, in fact, previously served as a retail hub for both Jenkin’s Music and most recently, Schmitt Music – Vaccaro’s previous employer. “I’ve been in the business about 45 years and have been here in Kansas City since ‘81,” he says. “I had my own store for 20 years, and about nine years ago, I was considering retirement and Schmitt Music was here, asked me to go with them.”
Mike Vaccaro’s “own store” had been Vaccaro Piano and Organ, which he helmed from 1995 until, “around 2011, 2012, someplace in there.”
“We did a lot of business for Baldwin at the time,” he elaborates. “Baldwin ended up moving everything to China, but the Chinese pianos… I just wasn’t satisfied with selling them, let’s say that. So, I said, ‘Okay, maybe this is time to make some changes,’ and I was going to close. And then Schmitt approached me and said, ‘Hey, why don’t you come with us? You don’t want to retire yet.’ So I did that. I was in sales for about eight years with them. Then, they closed this location at the end of November. And then in January, Darren Spier – owner of the Texas Piano Group and dealer principal of parent company Metroplex Piano – talked to me and said, ‘Hey, why don’t you come manage our new store? We’re moving into your old location.” So, I didn’t have to move far. [laughs]
‘Best in Kansas City’
In addition to the previously alluded-to recital hall, the new Kansas City Piano store is equipped with a dedicated Disklavier piano room, as well as a performance space, to showcase the store’s premium instruments.
“We have that 90-seat recital hall, with two nice grands up on the stage. It’s really a pretty nice facility – best one here in Kansas City, for sure,” Vaccaro beams.
On April 20, the showroom hosted its inaugural concert event featuring piano performances by scholarship winners from Mu Phi Epsilon’s Kansas City Alumni Chapter, the first of many such performances to be scheduled in the coming weeks and months.
Flatscreen televisions are prominently featured throughout the store, providing customers with engaging tutorials of the technologically advanced pianos on display. Kansas City Piano carries a fine selection of acoustic instruments, including Yamaha, Bösendorfer, Seiler, and Pearl River.
“It’s really a great selection of pianos,” says Vaccaro. “We have about 150 units in the store – everything from Pearl River, and then our digitals… we seem to be selling every digital we can get our hands on, to Bösendorfer. So, it’s just a great selection.”
Cautious Optimism
While opening a retail location in the midst of an ongoing pandemic might seem daunting, Kansas City Piano is proceeding with caution. “We started recitals,” he says. “They’re on a limited basis. We can seat 90 in that room, but we’ve got it set up for 50 right now with spacing, and then taking into consideration performers… unless they’re performing, they have to have a mask on. So, we’re still doing that stuff, but we have started recitals which is great. And the teachers – there’s been a definite pent-up desire for recitals.”
Speaking of teachers, Vaccaro explains that the store hasn’t quite yet taken the plunge when it comes to lessons: “Not at the moment. We have had lessons, but since COVID-19, we haven’t done any lessons live, so we’re still waiting to see how things are going to change. The biggest problem you have with the private studios is that they’re small. And so, you have two people in that place, a teacher and a student; germs are going to hang around forever. So, we just haven’t done anything yet. I have teachers calling me all the time saying, ‘Hey, are you going to open up the studios for us?’ So we’re just kind of waiting now. Hopefully ]maybe by September, October, we’ll be able to do that again, but it’s… that’s up in the air.”
Bright Spots and Lofty Goals
But as with many musical instrument and gear segments have witnessed, the past 15 or so months haven’t been all doom and gloom.
“We started moving in February, so, by the time we got the store really open for sales, it was more closer to the end of February,” he says. “We just started the grand opening here not too long ago. But the big thing is: people are home. They’re not taking vacations like they were. They’re not doing other things where they spend a lot of money. So, what are they doing? They’re doing stuff for the house. They’re remodeling, they’re buying pianos. I had a customer, myself, not too long ago who had a trip to Europe planned and decided not to do it, bought a grand instead.
“The supply chain issue is the big part. We’d be doing even more business if we had all the products. We have stuff that’s been backordered, so the stuff that the guy sold before I came on board six months ago, he’s still waiting on. I sold a Yamaha the other day or a couple of weeks ago – a $13,000 upright and I’m not sure when I’m going to see it.”
With a current full-time staff of three, Kansas City Piano partners with local, independent technicians for repair work. “We have a number of technicians that work for us, but none of them are on our staff,” Vaccaro says. “We have one touch-up person who does any of our smaller, touch-up work, but we don’t do full refinishing here. We’re training him. He does furniture, but he’s learning polyester. He’s been doing pretty well. We have another gentleman who’s been around quite a while, who is taking care of most of our stuff right now. We have found that it’s very difficult to find good touch-up people, especially when it comes to working with polyester. You have to kind of grow some of your own people to work for you.”
While COVID-19-related restrictions have somewhat put a damper on full-tilt, largescale grand opening celebrations, Kansas City Piano is nonetheless making their presence known in the area.
“Early June, we’re going to be doing some stuff with teachers, bringing them in,” Vaccaro says. “We’re going to have some giveaways for the teachers, and just let them get more acquainted with Kansas City Piano – a lot of the teachers I’ve worked with over the years when I was at Schmitt Music. And we have an event planned for technicians. So, we’re really going after everybody, getting them back to see what’s here in the building and to familiarize them a little bit more with Kansas City Piano.
“We’re doing TV. We’re doing the sales deals as far as emails and marketing stuff – marketing pieces. We actually had probably one of the biggest months ever last month for f the store. Business has been pretty darn good and there’s been a lot of events in Kansas City. There’s a lot of business in the area, which is good for everybody, and there’s a pent up demand for music and I think that the pandemic has just made people realize how important music is to the family and to the individuals within the family.
“Our goal is to be a cultural center in Kansas City, offering visitors the opportunity to not only experience and purchase great pianos, but also to enjoy fine cultural events. As people walk in and look around our modern, open space, pianos set up in an inviting way along with a relaxed and comfortable listening room, they will quickly realize that this is a fun and engaging place to get to know pianos.”
For more information about Kansas City Piano, call (913) 717-9810 or visit www.kansascitypiano.com
