Music Retail
Jerry Trestman grew up in a musical home, in fact his older brother played saxophone for several of the big bands during the swing era. Jerry served in the Korean War and was stationed in Japan where he conducted several Japanese bands and played in small groups. Jerry continued to play...
Jerry Hovey grew up in a musical home as his father was a professional drummer. Jerry’s own love for music began at an early age but it wasn’t until he saw the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964 that Jerry wanted to be in a rock band. And he has been in such a band ever since. He...
Charlie Ollmann is the co-founder (with his wife) of the retail shop Music Connection in Minnesota. They both taught music and had an opportunity to open their own store, with lesson rooms, and they jumped at the chance. Music Connection was born in 1981. The company is located in Forest Lake,...
Wayne Reinhardt began his musical retail career in 1971, with the same company he was working for at the time of his 2013 interview, Schmitt Music in Minnesota. Wayne is proud of the opportunity he had in working with Bob Schmitt in the early part of his career as Bob was focused on expanding the...
Jerry Grote grew up in Minnesota and began playing guitar after seeing the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964. As a high school student, Jerry began visiting local music stores and discovered music retail. One of the stores he visited was called The Guitar Center, not related to the...
Paul Winther took over his parent’s music store in Boise, Idaho, which was opened in 1943. Paul enjoyed the selling side of the business, especially selling pianos and organs. Paul took great pride in the fact that his son Greg came into the business and would run the store after his retirement...
Keith Jorgensen opened a piano-focused retail store in the Salt Lake City area that would grow to 13 stores in three states! Keith Jorgensen Piano Centers were all run by Keith until his retirement, when his children took over. During his long career, Keith was a retail leader who created several...
Al Rinaldi was the first person ever to receive the Steinway Lifetime Achievement Award, which was given to him in 2012. Al never worked for the piano manufacturer nor did he work for any of it's sister companies. Al was a Steinway dealer in Philadelphia, who in fact was turned down from being a...
Sam Ulano was the drum teacher, performer, method book author and drum shop owner whose name became synonymous with the world of drumming. During his long and celebrated career, Sam played with some of the legends of jazz and popular music. In 1948 he published the first of nearly one thousand...
Andy Shearer along with this dear wife Rowena, opened Shearers Music store in Hamilton, New Zealand in 1963. The couple began with a modest inventory but grew to include top brands of musical instruments, a well-respected sheet music department and in the early days, stereo systems and records. ...