Music Retail
Joseph Blumenthal had his sights on being a schoolteacher during his college days when he began to focus on working in retail. He worked at Sears and later at the Good Will Store in New England before he was given a chance to work for a small music store. Basel TV and Music Shop was the first...
Ted Meyer teamed with his wife, Betty, to open a music store in the mid 1960s. It turned out to be a great idea! Their children were raised in the store and both Ted and Betty could serve their customer base in their own ways while working together to grow the business. Ted took care of calling on...
Haruhiko Ikebe developed a novel way of approaching music retailing, creating Super Pro Shops that stock vintage and new instruments along with accessories and knowledgeable sales staff for a very specific item. In other words, Mr. Ikebe created a saxophone store, a guitar store, a flute store and...
Betty Meyer and her husband, Ted, decided that their teaching salaries were not enough to raise their family in the early 1960s so they decided to open a music store. It turned out to be a great idea! Their children were raised in the store and both Ted and Betty could serve their customer base in...
Alberto Kreimerman opened Hermes Music Stores in the United States with branches in Mexico beginning in 1982. His goal was always to serve music makers with quality products and service and in the background he set aside some of his profit to serve underprivileged children in both the US and Mexico...
Don Middleton taught music lessons around town before working for Billy Hill at Hill’s Music in 1967. A few months later Mr. Hill announced his retirement and asked Don if he wanted to buy the store. With a small loan, which Don paid off in just over a year, he purchased the store. By 1970, he had...
Jim Lo Duca’s father and uncle were the original Lo Duca Brothers, who formed a small music store in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that opened for business on December 1, 1941. Seven days later America was attacked in Pearl Harbor and soon after that Jim’s uncle was drafted. Jim’s father, Tom, was too...
Michael Diehl opened a small store in Freehold, New Jersey after serving in the United States Navy during World War II. He attended college on the GI Bill and found that he could run the music store with a small loan from the bank. His business flourished during the great accordion craze of the...
Mitch Gallagher grew up in a musical family. His mother and her sisters sang three-part harmony for dance bands, encouraging all of the children in the family to get involved with music. Mitch followed his love of music throughout college and into a salesman job for the Sweetwater Sound retail...
Jerry Pellegrino wanted to own a business ever since he was a kid, so when the opportunity arose to start his own music store, he jumped at the chance. With a small loan and the help of several local school band directors, Jerry started serving the orchestra programs in the Canton, Ohio area. Over...