Music biz has family history of note

0 Comments | La Crosse Tribune, Oct 12, 1998

At age 70, Roger Leithold is still selling pianos at the business his grandfather Fred started 110 years ago.

But Roger and his wife, Teresa, who gives music lessons to young children, have made way for the next generation. Their children, Paul Leithold and Abbie Leithold-Gerzema. manage the family-owned Leithold Music at 116 S. Fourth St. Roger, who was manager for many years, still sells pianos two nights a week at the downtown music store. He also handles piano "remote sales," such as displays at home shows, and is in charge of buying used pianos, which the business refurbishes and resells.

"He's taught me everything I know, but he hasn't taught me everything he knows, so he can't quit," his daughter joked.

"He has this career of experience that you just can't teach to people," his son said.

Two weeks ago, a Yamaha Corp. of America vice president came to the store to give Roger Leithold an award for contributions to the piano industry, especially Yamaha pianos. A picture of Leithold will be mounted on a wall at the company's U.S. headquarters.

The Leithold Piano Co. was founded by his grandfather Fred Leithold in 1888 in downtown La Crosse. He sold and tuned pianos. The business later was run by Roger's father, Harry Leithold. It moved into its current building in 1964.

Today, the store sells music products such as pianos, portable keyboards, band and orchestra instruments and sheet music. "And we rent upwards of 2,000 instruments a semester to area students," Paul Leithold said.

The store has 16 teaching studio rooms where about 25 teachers give music lessons to about 600 students a week.

"We have the premier band and orchestra instrument repair and rebuilding department in the Midwest," Paul Leithold said. "People send us instruments from around the country to have them repaired or rebuilt."

The store quit selling television sets and radios in the 1970s, and stereo equipment and records in the 1980s.

Roger Leithold said sales have steadily increased, except in the 1980s.

Paul Leithold said 20 percent of the nation's music stores closed in the early 1980s because high interest rates made it more difficult for consumers to buy musical instruments and for stores to carry large inventories; and because of increased competition for recreation dollars. There were five or six music stores in La Crosse in the 1970s, compared to only three now, he said.

The industry rebounded in the 1990s, he said, because of increased emphasis on educating people to become musicians, lower interest rates and an improved economy. New products, such as digital pianos and portable keyboards, also helped.

"La Crosse and nearby towns have topnotch (school) music programs," Paul Leithold said. "So we're kind of spoiled by having that level of education in our own back yard."

The store's customers are primarily within a 100-mile radius of La Crosse, Abbie Leithold-Gerzema said.

A store representative visits each of about 100 schools each week, delivering musical instruments, showing products, and picking up instruments for repair.