Music Retail
Rick Valentine is the founder and president of Valentine’s House of Music, a retail store dedicated to piano sheet music and method books. Over his career, Rick developed not only a true love of sheet music but a wonderful relationship with many of the key piano teachers and music educational...
Bob Kohl was hired by Music & Arts in Maryland just before turning sixteen years old and has been in the industry ever since that time. The store was located in the local mall and he began working within the sheet music department, an area of the industry he would soon fall in love with and...
Gail Warnaar started a double reed camp for high school band students in the Michigan area, which lead to her involvement with the music products industry. In 1981 Gail formed the Double Reed Shop to provide accessories to her camp students, but soon the business grew as did her need to expand. ...
Barbara Meeks fell in love with music at an early age and played flute all though school and into college where she majored in music education. While working at Buddy Roger’s Music in Ohio, she developed a passion for sheet music. She later worked for Mannerino’s Music for a decade before joining...
Paul Graves began delivering pianos in 1957 up in Minnesota before moving to Alabama where he continued to deliver. He soon discovered that he would make more money if he sold the pianos and the love of selling soon took hold. In 1960, Paul opened his first piano store in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He...
Fred Davis began playing saxophone as a boy and started his own band, the Freddy Davis Orchestra, which played around Ohio during World War II. He was well equipped with reeds for his gigs as his mother owned a small music store in Marysville, where Fred grew up. After working in his mother's store...
Jim Trimper, Sr. is the president of Denton, Cottier & Daniels, a chain of piano and organ stores in the upstate New York area. The company was formed in 1827 and thus has a long history in each of the communities of their store locations and a dedication to service that Jim has continued...
Paul Musilli opened his drum shop in upstate New York called Buffalo Drum Outlet. The year was 1980 and as Paul recalled in the early days his customer base grew as a direct result of his service and attention to details, a key element of the business today. Paul’s business also covered the...
Art Kubera began taking accordion lessons when he was eight years old growing up in Buffalo, New York. His love of music continued to develop and within a few years he was playing in school bands and later his own bands around town. After years of playing professionally, he realized there was a...
Michael Kubera grew up in the music store his father established in Buffalo, New York. Kubera Music was a full line store that specialized in the big name brands as well as the hard to find items. The store became a hub for the local musicians as well as many who would launch their own musical...