Philly's Oldest Piano Company Seeing Huge Boost In Sales As Tickling The Ivories Becomes Popular Pandemic Pastime
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Piano sales are brisk as tickling the ivories has become a popular pandemic pasttime. The trend has been a boon for one local business.
When anyone hits that beautiful note of a piano, whether that's one or many keys, it's almost like a bag of chips -- you can never have just one. When you put your hands on a keyboard, you can never just do it once, you got to keep working on it because it sounds so satisfying.
"And because it changes the way you feel, you love that feeling," Richard Galassini said.
Galassini knows those feelings all too well for he is the co-owner of the Cunningham Piano Company, Philadephia's oldest piano company.
"Cunningham Piano Company has been around since 1891," Galassini said. "For the first 50 years that we existed, we made pianos by hand right here in Philadelphia. And today we are experts on some of the finest pianos that might be 100 years old and even the new products that are out today. And also the technology and the technology-based instruments where a lot of the children are going to start today."
While the pandemic stopped in-store sales for a bit, their online store -- which they opened just over two months ago -- showed incredible promise that people still wanted to play.
"We delivered pianos to Hawaii, we delivered pianos to Texas, to Maryland," Galassini said. "So yes, there is a demand."
Sure, people have more time on their hands, but Galassini says there's also a demand because of what the piano does for our brains -- and he says that's the key.
Galassini also mentioned that pianos, in particular the digital pianos they sell, sound incredible and are more affordable than ever. So now may just be the most opportune time to start playing.
Watch the video above for more from Galassini.
