King's Keyboard House

The King family has always emphasized music education and maintaining strong relationships with teachers as part of their store policy. In fact, Richard King left Grinnel's Pianos because there, teachers were underappreciated. He opened up King's Keyboard House in 1961, after obtaining a masters in music theory from the University of Michigan, teaching piano lessons from his home, and gaining a decade of experience at Grinnell's Pianos in Ypsilanti, both selling pianos and managing the store. The first location was on Liberty Street, where Afternoon Delight now is (see map).

At first, Mr. King recalls, things were hard. He didn't have a lot of business or accounting skills, and while he had a decade of experience from Grinnell's, "not everything I learned was good." He started out with just three pianos and three electric organs, and business was slow until Baldwin pianos were offered. Because it was a big name, Mr. King says, carrying Baldwins helped boost sales; it was familiar to a lot of people. Before carrying Baldwins, Mr. King had sold Cable pianos, in addition to organs (which were much more popular at that time) and a small selection of music.

For Mr. King, the hardest part about opening up his store was simply "surviving….keeping the doors open." There were six other piano stores in Ann Arbor in 1961, and they all said that Mr. King would only last about six months. "They were almost right," laughs Mr. King, and indeed, today he has the last laugh. All six other piano stores have gone out of business, and King's Keyboard House stands proudly as the best and only place to buy pianos in Ann Arbor.

When the store first opened, the clientele was mostly parents. "Teachers didn't know me yet," he says. But that would soon change.

For Mr. King, contributing to the music community was the most rewarding part of opening up his own business. "I had a good relationship with most of the teachers, and I felt that that was pretty important—a necessity, actually—and that's something that Grinnell's could care less about. And that's one thing I learned from them, that teachers are your best friends, if you let them be." He was also certain to establish relationships with educational institutions such as the University of Michigan, Eastern Michigan University, and Washtenaw Community College. He has also worked closely with professors, musicians, and notable composers in the area, including William Bolcom.

Customer satisfaction is another important goal of the King Family. "Dick doesn't want a piano to go out of this store unless it's near perfect," says long-time friend Tom Hill. "He wants to exceed customers' expectations." Today, Jim King carries on the concern for customers: "We'd rather lose money on a sale than have a customer unhappy," Jim says.

In addition to taking music lessons of all sorts, some of the King's seven children worked in the store. Russ, the oldest, was the first child to work for his father, and also worked next door for a fur dealer. Both Jim and Rob remember cleaning the store on Saturdays, and Julie worked behind the counter as a teenager. Patricia didn't have much time to help out in the store (with seven kids at home) until all of the children had grown up; even then, she only worked there for about two years to help with the books.

In 1968, King's Keyboard House moved to Main Street, to what is now Generations (see map). The business was growing, and the Kings needed more space for more pianos. In 1976 the store moved back to Liberty Street once again, this time to where Café Japon now is (see map). In 1977, the State of Michigan recognized King's Keyboard House as an official incorporation. In 1996, the Kings finally settled into their present location on East Stadium (see map), having found a space large enough to accommodate the growing needs of a successful piano store. Not only was space an issue on Liberty and Main streets, but it was hard for customers to find parking, and loading and unloading pianos was extremely difficult. But every move resulted in more space for more pianos, and business improved with each location change.

Meanwhile, in 1983, the Kings opened a store in Toledo, Ohio. Julie spent a considerable amount of time getting the store going, while Mr. King and his daughter Charlotte maintained the Ann Arbor location. But the economy was in a depression, interest rates were high, and the manager that Mr. King hired didn't get along with teachers (coincidentally, he was trained at Grinnell's). The Toledo store closed its doors in 1985, and the Kings have remained in Ann Arbor ever since. " Ann Arbor is just a piano town," Patricia says. In 1991, King's Keyboard House received a certificate of appreciation from the Ann Arbor Lions Club.

In 2006, as Patricia and Richard were celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary, Richard King decided to retire. He left the store to two of his children, Jim and Julie. Jim King runs the store, while Julie King runs her newly opened sheet music store down the road.

As for the future of the family business? Jim doesn't think that Alex has any interest in taking over King's Keyboard House (he doesn't) but still has high hopes: "I'd love to keep it in the family. I really would. And I hope so. That's all I can say. I really hope that he does." Top