Pianos Disappearing from Homes

Piano retailers and manufacturers are closing their doors across North America and elsewhere as the public appetite for the expensive, space-consuming instruments dims.

Declining sales have plagued the industry for years and was exacerbated by the Great Recession. In many cases, pianos that once would have been resold are simply hauled to the trash dump.

“In our industry, it’s not as drastic as the computer replacing the typewriter,” said Ted Good, president of Ohio’s only dealer for new Steinway & Sons pianos, “it’s just changing.” The company, he said, has seen flat sales for the last five years.

PianoIn today’s fast-moving culture, shrinking homes and even competition with sports and video games have affected sales, according to industry experts and piano store owners. Nationwide sales dropped by half in a 20-year period, from nearly 175,000 in 1987 to 62,500 in 2007, according to the Bluebook of Pianos.

Bob Russell, a registered piano technician in Ohio runs a third-generation business. He said the piano business may be have been affected by some drastic changes in society but he still tunes close to 1,500 pianos a year. He believes new piano sales will continue to be flat for a while because of influences like a saturated market of used pianos.

“The problem with new piano sales is they’re competing with hundreds of thousands of pianos sold 10 years ago,” said Russell, “Ten years on a new piano is nothing. It’s like 5,000 miles on a car.”

From used and refurbished pianos to much less expensive brands and models, the piano’s biggest competition has probably been digital pianos – or even cheaper, digital keyboards that are sold in retailers that range from Kmart to Costco.

An electronic keyboard can be purchased for less than $200, while a standard piano may cost from $5,000 to $250,000. And the keyboard is portable, while the piano is a heavyweight consumer of large spaces in a home.

 

Everything to Meet Your Needs!

Dino’s Storage facility for midtown Omaha is conveniently located at 5328 Center Street. It’s a modern facility offering 24/7 access to climate controlled storage units

DinosCenterStKerryOffice hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 4: 30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday as well as from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday and by appointment on Saturday. The office is closed on Sundays.

If you live or work in the midtown area, it’s the perfect place for you to store records, tools, holiday items and other items that you don’t need to clutter your office, home or garage year-round.

The facility offers monthly rentals and has security cameras. And, to make it easier for you, Dino’s midtown facility is an authorized agent for Penske moving trucks.

Stop by and visit the onsite manager, Kerry Lambert. She will be glad to answer all your questions and welcome you to the secure, convenient low-cost services of Dino’s Storage.

The phone number is (402) 504-4600.

And if Dino’s midtown Omaha location isn’t convenient for you, we have facilities in Millard at 14301 Josephine St., near Midtown Crossing at 2724 Douglas St., in Bellevue at 1001 Cornhusker Rd., in Papillion at 921 Cedardale Rd., in Elkhorn at 20800 West Dodge Rd., in downtown Omaha at 2757 Harney St. and in northwest Omaha at 14650 West Maple Rd.

Dino’s also has storage facilities in Bondurant, Iowa, and in southeast and north Des Moines, plus a facility in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Dino’s Customer Service

   We strive to have great customer service and do what we can for our customers. Just last week we had a customer come in that had an emergency situation. She needed to have a storage unit and have her mother moved out of her house that day. She didn’t realize that we also have Penske trucks for rent. Needless to say, she rented a Penske truck from us. She got everything that she needed done in the time that she needed to. When she returned the Penske truck to us she came in to personally thank us for the professional service and all the help that we provided. It certainly makes my day when I have those customers that make the extra effort to show their appreciation. That is exactly the kind of customer service that we like to provide to our customers and you can expect to receive at Dino’s Storage. Here are some of the great reviews that Dino’s Storage gets from our customers:

“I will come back again if I need storage again. Thank you!” 🙂 – Rebecca B.
“Tammy was very friendly and helpful.” – Marcus J.
“Thanks for keeping our items safe and secure.” – Keith B
“I’d like to thank all the staff – they were very helpful.” – Brian T.
“Was treated very well by staff and will always recommend Dino’s to my friends. Thank you.” – Clyde K.
“Good customer service. Thanks a lot!” – Michelle M.

If you ever have any questions or would like to come in and see us about a storage unit you can contact Jennie or Tammy at our Bellevue Facility at 1001 Cornhusker Rd – 402-293-4667