Field's Piano in Orange County is having a "total liquidation" sale. They are selling everything to become a Steinway Gallery.

Not sure, does that means Steinway will be buying them out? They are getting rid of Kawai, Kohler and Campbell, Young Chang and Weber. Their Steinway stock is reduced in price, too. Significantly, if I'm reading the Piano Buyer correctly.

This must be good news for Kim's in Garden Grove. Seems like a mistake for Field's to dump Kawai and YC, etc. More choices for their customers should be a good thing, no?

Is Steinway looking to have only company owned stores?

The Steinway Gallery's in Canada are not owned by Steinway. They are owned by piano
dealers that only carry Steinway products. Seems like Steinway want this to be the way of the future.

Just checked ther website.. No info on "liquidation" sale. Where did u get your news?

Rod, that must be it. It might be good for Steinway, but not sure why Field's would want to restrict buying options for their customers.



From the huge orange sign visible for miles! And I stopped by the store to see about the free tuning for my new piano. They have posters throughout the store about the change.

Yes, my timing is, as usual, excellent. Buy a piano one month before a real sale!

Your timing, and your luck, sounds about like mine...

Rick

Steinway apparently feels that their "family of instruments", Steinway, Boston and Essex should be able to satisfy the store's market. They frown on dealerships carrying any brands that compete with the "family". This doesn't mean that it is forbidden.

Good for Kim's and Pierrer's piano for brand selection. Steinway already has store presence in old town Pasadena and Los Angeles. I guess Orange County would be the next stop.

Wasn't it Fields Piano in West L.A. (pico blvd.) that was going out of business for so long that some govt. agency got involved?

Given what I know of Pierre, I don't think he wants most of those brands. His business bread and butter is north of Wilshire. When I asked about Hailun he actually said (with a smile) "Does it say Pierre's Pianos on the building? No, it says Pierre's Fine Pianos. I don't want any more asian pianos than I already have."

Kurt

lol..

Regarding the change, I wonder what the cost difference is between buying a brand new Steinway at fields vs the gallery. Fields to me, seems like it would cost less.

After having a conversation with somebody there in Southern California; in such a competitive market it makes sense for Fields to commit to Steinway only.

Steinway dealers have the will of subjecting to a strict business etiquette or business model in order to avoid jeopardizing the dealership with Steinway.
Consequently dealers are capable of maintaining very healthy margins. IMO Steinway is the only manufacturer that can keep such a tight leash on the dealers (something to be envious of).

According to Steinway, here is the list of the Galleries owned directly by S&S.

Steinway Hall - Manhattan, NY
Long Island, NY
Miami, FL
Paramus, NJ
Westport, CT
Pasadena, CA
West Hollywood, CA
Hinsdale, IL
Northbrook, IL

All of the remainder, selling new products, are privately owned dealerships having contracts with Steinway & Sons.

I think it's bad taste when posters choose frivolous thread titles that seem to rejoice in dealer closings or revampings.

This seems particularly the case for Steinway dealers. There have been several threads in the past almost joyously announcing the closing of Steinway dealers.

Sure, but Plowboy bought his piano from this particular dealer so I doubt he rejoices in their closing. Besides, they're just liquidating to make room for Steinway.

Yes.

I was just curious if any of our industry experts might have an insight as to the situation. It's a big change, Field's has been the face of Steinway in SoCal for some time now. They seem to have been weathering the recession quite well. Several years ago the manager there told me it was because they owned their inventory.

They are a good operation, IMO.

Of course, getting a cranky response from pianoloverus is just a bonus.:-)

A lot of colleges in our area Gary. Retailers who go all Steinway are in a better position to tap into the All Steinway Schools program. USC's commitment to the program alone is 2.9 mil for pianos and 600k for program maintenance.

I don't know the exact product mix, but I know there are no Kawai's or Young Chang's in that order. Institutional sales don't necessarily mirror a sour consumer economy.

Enjoy your piano (and your bonus).

Fields stumbled a bit last year, but they were still a 5m store. Not many can say that. As was mentioned, becoming a Steinway Gallery does not mean selling out to the factory and, as was also mentioned, may mean a consolidation that is more profittable than being merely a home of steinway. One thing you'll seldom see is a new Steinway piano liquidation.

Mike

Gee, that is a very interesting factoid coming from someone who claims not to be an industry insider.

What - did you just call and Jerry disclosed that info on the phone?

Plowboy , It's my understanding that Steinway has only floor plan agreements. But there are exceptions for every rule.

Furt,

This is getting really stale.

What if Mike had been in the industry and chose not to disclose it? How would he be any different from you?

If you doubt Mike's report, just check it out with whoever 'Jerry' is. Surely he'll open up to a true insider like you.

Give me a break.

Furt,

While I agree with Turandot, I guess there's no sense in making a big deal out of it. August Music Trades page 76.


Mike

Mike

Thank you for your response.

That answers the question.

And I must add - you are correct in stating that $5mm is nothing to sneeze at.

BTW - "Jerry" - Pres. of Fields Pianos - is a close friend of a good friend of mine, and by all accounts a great guy. I congratulate Fields on that result in a tough economy.

This post started in June. It's now almost November. I recall hearing many liquidation sales from Field's piano over the years. Wonder if this is a real liquidation or just another sale gimmick to get people to stop by. I came into the store and the price is just about the same as Kim's on the Kawaii. RX1 Blak in walnut is almost 17K and RX2 Blak walnut is almost 19K. Is this just about the standard every day price that these pianos are selling for anyway? I didn't get a sense that the dealer are willing to negotiate much lower.

Or it could be that Kim's just deeply discounts their kawai's.

But those prices don't seem low at all I agree.