The Citizen, 2007-09-27, Page 7After five years in the
Londesborough location,
Pianovations is bringing the
retail side of its business to
Blyth.
Lianne Hoogenboom and
Tamara Andre have set up
shop in the newly-renovated
building just north of Maple
and Moose on Queen Street.
The brick walls, floors and tin
roof create a soothing
ambiance for the music lovers
who come to find that perfect
piano or guitar.
Pianovations began as a
piano repair and restoration
business in a spacious store in
the heart of Londesborough.
“If 13 years ago someone
would have said this is what
we’d be doing, I wouldn’t
have believed it,” said
Hoogenboom.
The pair were refinishing
pianos when they began
learning more about
restoration from a technician
they were working with. Then
they answered a call for two
apprentices in Calgary at what
was then the largest piano
company in Canada.
There they worked on
“high-end stuff” including a
piano valued at a quarter of a
million dollars. “It was a bit
of an adjustment to come
back to country pianos,” said
Hoogenboom. “but I actually
enjoy it more.”
Sentimentality is one of the
biggest issues they have to
consider, the women agreed.
“You have to be very careful
around people,” said Andre.
“Some pianos are really
beyond putting money into
but they mean so much to the
person.”
“You have to balance that
sentimentality with
practicality. Some just choose
to go against what you
advise,” said Hoogenboom.
“A lot of these old pianos
have such heart and soul, but
Tamara looks at maybe 30 a
month and four or five are
actually worth putting any
money into them.”
The ones that are will be
picked up by Andre and “a
young man who came to ask
us if we wanted someone to
help move pianos,” said
Hoogenboom.
They use a hydraulic lift to
get the pianos into the truck
and bring it to the
Londesborough site where the
work has been and will
continue to be done.
Pianovations services
encompass everything from
evaluations to restorations,
from purchasing to
consignment.
“And we stick to our
quotes,” added Andre.
It was a few years ago that
the retail portion of their
business was introduced.
“People began asking us if we
had pianos for sale. Then
three years ago we brought in
guitars,digital pianos and
books,” said Hoogenboom.
“We realized we needed
more space,” said Andre.
“We wanted to start
growing some product lines,”
said Hoogenboom. “Also
people could barely sit and
play a guitar to try it out.”
Andre said they had
discussed branching out into
Blyth, looking into various
locations, for about a year.
“This one just worked,” said
Hoogenboom, adding that the
owners have gone out of their
way to create a quality
environment.
In addition to a bright and
roomy retail space at the front
of the store, Pianovations’
Blyth location also has a
small shop in the back. “It is a
strong visual to see a grand
piano in the middle of being
rebuilt. It shows the extent of
a restoration,” said
Hoogenboom.
A tour of the facility soonmakes evident the passion thetwo have for their work assteps are outlined anddescriptions conveyed.Hoogenboom beams as shepoints to a transposing piano,
“an uncommon piece to share
with people.”
A real treat is the Sherlock
Manning player piano, owned
by the Draper family, located
at the front of the store, along
with historical memorabilia. Pianovations will be open inBlyth from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.Wednesdays to Saturdays.However, adds Hoogenboom,they will be conscious of theevents going on downtown
and will add a day as needed.
Inventory will also be
increased with a new line of
pianos, Austrialian guitars
and “fine quality beginner”
harps. As Christmas
approaches they hope toexpand their retailmerchandise to includemusic-themed apparel,posters and accessories. They also plan to have a setup for a basic home recording
studio, hopefully in place in
time for the grand opening
Oct. 20.
“We are just trying to grow,
trying to keep changing,” said
Hoogenboom.
THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2007. PAGE 7.Pianovations comes to Blyth’s downtown
The Brussels Public School
parent council is planning a
Family Fun in the Fall Night
on Oct. 4 at the BMG
Community Centre from 5 - 8
p.m. The evening includes a
family dinner, silent auction,
games for the children, and
entertainment by some of the
school faculty.
With support for events
such as this the parent council
can provide extra
opportunities for the children,
said Dawn Hastings, BPS
Parent Council Member. The
council is looking to raise
funds to purchase one or more
FM sound systems for the
classrooms. These are
excellent tools used to help
the students hear and
comprehend the lessons being
taught, as well as drown out
any background noise. The
goal is to soon have one in
each classroom.
“Our children are one of or
most important assets in this
community, and as we near
the season of Thanksgiving, I
am truly thankful for the
willingness of our community
to support one another, and on
behalf of all or children I
thank you so much for all
your support now and in the
future. The last two years
have been a great success and
a wonderful time was had by
all. It is an evening you won’t
want to miss, said Hastings.
For more information on
tickets or donations contact
Pam Barker 519-887-8639,
Hastings 519-887-6222 or the
school 519-887-9361 by Sept.
28.
Bringing music to Blyth
Pianovations has expanded with the opening of a retail store in Blyth.
Tamara Andre, left, and Lianne Hoogenboom still have their repair shop in
Londesborough. (Bonnie Gropp photo)
POWER WORKERS’ UNION
A voice of reason
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By Bonnie Gropp
The Citizen
Remembering the alley
By Brock Vodden
If there were a contest to identify the
Blyth store with the most unusual, rare,
unexpected, bizarre, and least known secret
in its basement, the winner would have to be
the newly-renovated Pianovations.
In 1947, Frank Gong bought this building
and moved his restaurant from a few doors
north. In 1948, Frank dropped into Vodden’s
Bakery and asked the owner Harold Vodden,
my father, to be his partner in a bowling
alley. Frank had learned that there were two
old alleys for sale in Tavistock. He proposed
purchasing them and installing them in the
basement under his restaurant. Harold was
intrigued with the idea and they formed a
partnership with a handshake.
The basement was dark and dingy. It had
not been used since the previous occupant,
Wasman's Bakery, was closed. The cement
floor against the north wall had to be
removed with a few thousand whacks of the
pick and sledge. The wall at the rear
suffered a terrible outrage to allow the alleys
to enter the basement. They were soon in
place and leveled, but the appearance of the
basement left a lot to be desired.
The bowling alleys themselves were not
things of beauty either. They had obviously
been pounded by a few million bowls, and
they must have had many sanding
administrations applied to their surfaces:
those surfaces looked more like the gentle
waves of a fairly calm ocean than the
absolutely flat surface one would expect of
a bowling alley. They also needed another
date with the sander.
I will never forget the intoxicating fumes
in that basement from the special lacquers
and varnishes that had to be applied. We all
had to rush outside for oxygen every few
minutes.
Everett Scrimgeour constructed the track
to deliver the bowls back to the head of the
alleys, and put up some partitions.
Someone else applied a few coats of light
blue paint, bringing the appearance quotient
up many degrees.
One small problem was that the lead up
space to the foul line was approximately
half that of a regulation alley.
The building was simply not long enough.
There was no room behind the alleys for a
scoring table or benches on which to lounge
awaiting your turn to make another strike.
The ceilings were also too low. Tall men and
women had to avoid exuberant leaps after
knocking down that corner pin lest they find
their head penetrating the wallboard ceiling.
Despite the shortcomings (literally and
figuratively) this was the best bowling alley
in Blyth. The only one that has ever been
here. People learned to cope with the short
lead, and some became aficionados of the
wavy surface by figuring out where to direct
the ball to catch that little rise to the right to
bend the trajectory slightly to the left and
bring the ball just to the right side of the
number one pin and score the strike.
I had the dubious honour of being the
chief pin-boy. Saturday nights were my
busy nights - non-stop pin-setting from 7
p.m. to at least 11 p.m.
I was promoted to manager of the Ladies’
Tuesday night bowling club events. We
began with an honour system with each
member dropping their 35 cents into a
container as they arrived. There was a 35
cent shortage in the money pot each night
for the first two weeks. My mother was a
member of this club and she had noticed
who was faking the coin drop, but she
would not tell me who it was. From then on
I collected the fee personally.
Frank Gong and Harold Vodden did not
make a fortune from this venture - nor did
the pin boy. But they took delight in seeing
the enjoyment garnered by the players. And
we have to admire their approach to forming
their partnership – the handshake.
Family Fun in the Fall
at Brussels next week