Written By: Tyisha Blade
One of the oldest running East Cleveland establishments sits on Euclid Avenue across from The Louis Stokes Station at Windermere. The Bill Kap Piano Co. is a staple in the community with over 60 years of service in and around the city. The store’s entrance is aligned with aesthetically pleasing glass windows, allowing patrons a glimpse into the museum of pianos manufactured by Chickering, Steinway, Yamaha, Baldwin, Brodmann and more. Upon arrival, visitors notice an array of antique items including the establishment’s famous stuffed bear and hand-crafted treasures. They might also even meet the beloved dog, Francis.
Seymour “Bill Kap” Kaplowitz founded the company in the 1950s. He was born in 1931 in Flint, Michigan. He and his family later relocated to Kirtland, OH before settling in East Cleveland on Hayden Avenue. Bill Kap was a resident of East Cleveland for 20 years.
Mike Kap, the son of the company’s founder, became the owner of the piano store in 2018 (after his father’s death) and said that he feels privileged to continue to operate the business and progress his family’s legacy. “We are very proud to be in East Cleveland after all these years,” [Mike] Kap said. “Our roots are here. We really enjoy what we do adding to the world of music.” The piano store is approximately 25,000 square feet and takes up nearly two thirds of the city block between Knowles Avenue and Windermere Street.
Kap said his father, prior to starting the piano business, was a successful vending machine business owner where he supplied vending machines for factories and other establishments. The founder later joined the U.S. Army, and once he’d returned from his station in Fort Gordon, GA he began pursuing an additional business venture: transporting and rehabilitating pianos. Kap mentioned that his father funded his own education at a technician school in Oberlin by selling his Cadillac. “He got an education working on pianos, then started buying and selling them,” Kap said. “[The business] blossomed and snowballed for him and here we are today.
Kap attributes much of his fathers love for pianos to his fondness of collecting arcade machines, music boxes and mechanical musical items. “That’s what my dad thrived on,” Kap said. “He was mechanical. [When] he was out there buying pianos from private individuals, he’d ask if there were any other mechanical items for sale. Over the years, he developed a massive collection of mechanical musical items.” His father’s collection encompasses antique items such as Nickelodeon pianos from the 1920s and music boxes from the 1800s.
According to the organization’s website, Bill Kap Piano Co. is Ohio’s largest piano showcase with more than 200 new and pre-owned pianos on display. The piano store offers services that include sales, service, storage, moving, providing piano parts and refinishing. Kap said that in his current daily operations at the piano store, he has many roles including communication, building maintenance, and piano repair. “I’ve learned every aspect of this business because I have been here since I was a child,” he added.
Kap also mentioned his father’s knack for recruiting essential employees and carried that mission moving forward. “My father knew how to recruit talent,” he said. “He would recruit guys who were very talented with their hands. They also had very brilliant minds and there was always big, creative energy.” He acknowledged his current employees and continues to find ways to show his gratitude. He said he always takes time, during the summer months, for an occasional barbeque for his employees. “I like to take out the grill and throw on some hamburgers and hotdogs,” Kap said. “I like to show them that I appreciate them.”
Kap’s fondest memories at the establishment include interactions with staff members. He recalled a mover, Al Hampton, as they relocated a piano for former Cleveland Browns cornerback, Hanford Dixon. “The movers are a lot of fun,” he added. “They are jolly giant guys with great senses of humor.” Kap reminisced about a salesman, Lou Ortez who worked at the organization selling pianos for nearly 40 years. “Lou took me under his wing when I was younger,” Kap said. “He took me to trade shows and showed me how to buy pianos from our reps. I learned valuable information from a lot of these guys. It’s always been an enjoyable place to work,” he said. “We’re more like family than anything.”
He said his clientele are also members of his family and he hosts Christmas parties and events for them. “Once you purchase a piano from us, you become a member of our tribe,” Kap noted. “They come back and visit, too. They become our friends, they are not just clients.”
Kap also stated that people always ask him ‘why he is still in East Cleveland.’ “Once in a while, I get a client who will call and say, ‘Hey, I’d like to come visit your store, but is it safe?” In his response, he embraced the city and its surrounding environment. “After many years here, I’ve never had a problem. We are very close to the cultural University Circle. You’ve got CIM (Cleveland Institute of Music), the Cleveland Music Settlement, the Universities, the hospitals, as well as Cleveland Heights and Shaker Heights. We are centralized here,” he said. “And when people are looking for a piano. They will come seek us out.”
He proudly states that the East Cleveland neighborhood looks out for his establishment and takes pleasure in providing services to the community and surrounding partners. “I love the city. I grew up here and this will always be a part of my home.”
If you are interested in piano purchasing or the plethora of other services that Bill Kap Piano Co. provides, you can visit kappiano.com.
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