‘A song has to end.’ Overland Park’s Schmitt Music closing, selling its last pianos

In addition to all of the other traumas of 2020, Kansas City’s music lovers have had to endure the loss of Luyben Music, the beloved sheet music store. Now another revered music retailer is closing, one with links to Kansas City’s legendary Jenkins Music.

Schmitt Music, one of the nation’s oldest piano sellers, is closing its Overland Park outlet. The store will close when the last Steinway and Yamaha is sold, which is anticipated to be in early October. Harry Reed, the piano department manager, says the OP store is closing for a combination of reasons.

“Certainly it is my age and the fellows I work with and this concept of retirement in one’s later years,” Reed said. “But what is more tangible is our lease is ending. A five-year lease at the kind of money it costs to lease a store like this is a commitment of a half million dollars or more. And then there’s this little thing called COVID. You throw that into the mix with our ages, and it introduces an additional level of uncertainty.”

Like Jenkins, which was founded in Kansas City in 1878, Schmitt has a lengthy and storied history. The company, started by Paul A. Schmitt in Minneapolis in 1890, has weathered the Great Depression and other vicissitudes to grow to 16 locations around the country, including Overland Park.

Reed, who started working for Jenkins in 1983, is a link between that music emporium and Schmitt.

“I started at the old Jenkins Plaza store,” Reed said. “Jenkins moved to Overland Park in 1995, and later that year, Schmitt bought all of Jenkins’ assets.”

Reed says Schmitt carried on the legacy of Jenkins Music, especially in a commitment to its employees.

“They took all of the employees from Jenkins Music and they backdated our seniority to the time we began with Jenkins for things like benefits and stuff like that,” Reed said. “They were super fair. They have been very, very good to us over the years.”

Schmitt was the local dealer for several reputable piano brands, including Yamaha and Kawai. But according to Reed, Steinway ruled supreme.

“Van Cliburn said it great one time: ‘There is a constancy with the house of Steinway that I have found in no other company,’” Reed said. “Cliburn made that statement 50 years ago, but it’s true today.”

After Schmitt closes, Kansas City will be left with no Steinway dealer.

In addition to being a store, cognoscenti knew Schmitt Music as a concert venue for recitals by pianists like Roger Williams, Richard Cass, Sean Chen, Joe Cartwright and The 5 Browns, to name a few.

“Many of these pianists are designated as ‘Steinway Artists’ and played in our store because of our affiliation with Steinway,” Reed said. “Probably my most memorable moment was with Roger Williams many years ago. Here’s this big star playing at our store and he was just the nicest, warmest, most genuine individual that you’d ever want to meet.”

Over the years, Schmitt has been a valued corporate citizen, contributing generously to the Kansas City Symphony and smaller organizations like community theater groups. Schmitt Music has made an impact on the cultural life of the city, and its closing will be deeply felt. Despite the area’s cultural vitality, Reed says it’s not feasible for Schmitt to maintain a presence here.

“Wanting to and being able to are two different things,” he said. “You can’t just haul a kid in off the street and teach him everything there is to know about pianos and customer service and all that. The people are just as important as the pianos.”

Those who have bought a piano from Schmitt over the years need not worry about being left high and dry. Reed says all warranties will be honored and local technicians coordinated from Minneapolis will be dispatched for service calls.

“You never want a song to end, but you realize a song has to end,” Reed said. “If you’re enjoying the chapter in a book, you’re sorry when that chapter’s over. But we’re all good with it.”

You can reach Patrick Neas at patrickneas@kcartsbeat.com and follow his Facebook page, KC Arts Beat, at www.facebook.com/kcartsbeat.

This story was originally published September 25, 2020 at 5:00 AM.