Knowing Your Neighbors: Pierce and Piszczek Fine Pianos

There's a new piano store in Duluth that's been hitting all the right notes for the community.

Bringing a new piano store to Duluth was music to the ears of John Pierce and Paul Piszczek.

“Duluth needs a piano store,” said Pierce.

John’s a classically trained opera singer while Paul is a piano technician.

They formed a friendship with a shared love of music and opened Pierce and Piszczek Fine Pianos in January of 2015.

“We like music. We think it’s a great thing. We think everybody should have a piano,” said Pierce.

These piano guys sell new and used pianos and can almost promise to make anyone into a modern day Mozart.

“And the piano is about the easiest instrument to play, you can play…I just go like that and I make a nice sound, try doing that with a violin,” said Pierce.

While the technology behind these keys go back nearly 300 years, the store also carries pianos that can nearly play themselves.

“We have pianos that if you’ve never played piano before, you can come in here and sit down at one of these instruments and before you know it, you’ll be playing something and you wouldn’t believe it because they’re so easy,” said Pierce.

The store will tune any piano and sells instruments made to fill the needs of those who grace their keys.

“I think the real trick is to get parents to encourage their kids to keep going, even when they think they shouldn’t,” said Pierce.

The piano store is a blend of music and art. Paul’s wife is an artist whose paintings hang on the wall. They overlook all of the baby grands.

The store also hosts concerts, performances, and art shows.

“I’m trying to build something here that is meaningful and lasting and that will serve the community and at the same time is going to work,” said Pierce.