KEYBOARD CONCEPTS

'Fewer Dealers Vying For The Market'

Is consumer demand for pianos on the rise? Dennis Hagerty, president of Keyboard Concepts, paused for a moment and said, 'I just don't know for sure.' It's not that his Van Nuys, California,-based Keyboard Concepts has been stagnating; over the past five years the company has seen revenues nearly triple. It's just that Hagerty attributes much of his growth to the demise of scores of piano retailers in southern California.

'During the '70s and '80 a lot of good piano retailers in the Los Angeles area closed their doors, either because they couldn't make it or because the owner wanted to retire,' he stated. 'When I started Keyboard Concepts, I felt that if I could bide my time, I'd end up with a respectable share of the market.'

To date, Hagerty's straightforward strategy seems to be working. By 1994 the company had marshalled sufficient resources to maintain a strong advertising presence in the L.A. market. Since that time company sales have grown from $2.9 million to $8.2 million. 'I just can't be sure of how much the market has changed, but I do know that we're getting a bigger share of what's out there.'

Hagerty doesn't spend a lot of time pondering the factors that seem to drive consumer demand for pianos. Rather, he devotes his energies to refining the operations at his two stores. 'If we run a good business, there will be opportunities for us regardless of what happens in the piano market.'