Makin Pianos business has been active on the piano scene in Edinburgh since 1931. The city has changed a great deal over the years, and continues to do so. It’s also become very much busier.
Back in 1973, we moved the piano business from a small basement premises in Dundas Street to our present location in Summer Place in Edinburgh. Although only around one mile from the city centre, Summer Place was at that time part of a relatively sleepy backwater.
Traffic volumes were very light, and it was an easy matter for pedestrians to cross the main road outside our door – almost without needing to look. Parking spaces were in plentiful supply, and metered parking had yet to be introduced.
Nowadays, and especially during rush hours on weekdays, it can take a few minutes to find a break in the traffic to make a dash for the other side of the road. The pace of life in Edinburgh is so much quicker, and there isn’t always as much time to stop and “smell the flowers”.
Inside our piano shop however, the pace hasn’t changed that much. Many visitors seem to pick up on this, and often comment that they feel less stressed after spending even five minutes looking at, touching, playing, and enjoying our lovely range of new and used pianos – everything from the stunning Steingraeber grand pianos to the affordable upright pianos from Kawai.
Perhaps piano ownership should be prescribed as an antidote to the stresses of modern living – I thoroughly recommend it!