You might not be aware that the site administrator's "day job" is part-owner of a midwestern music store chain. (Despite being a hundredaire from daily JazzMando string and book sales.) Today's article in the local paper eloquently describes the change of what for nearly nine decades was a musical dynamo, an icon in the arts community, the downtown Lincoln (Nebraska) Dietze Music store, 5,000 square feet of lessons, repairs, sheet music, pianos, and other music instruments.

The chain remains a top 100 retailer, but this one location has suffered from the retail plight of many urban areas. The store is closing, but the good news, two new branches and expansion of a third are the result. In two weeks, there will be five Dietze Music storefronts serving the Lincoln, Omaha, and Bellevue area.

The days of hanging with musicians, grabbing fresh new instruments off the hook, and bountiful accessories remain a challenge for the 21st century retailer to continue to offer.

Read article: Dietze Music closing O Street store after 87 years downtown

Kristin Streff; Lincoln Journal Star

Posted by Ted at July 7, 2013 5:00 AM