Musical Merchandise Review: MMR
Issue: March, 2006 (Volume 164 No. 3)
Spotlight: Darrell’s Music Hall of New Hampshire

“New Hampshire’s Darrell’s Music Hall”
By Krysten Ogrizovich

It was a typical January New England morning when I drove up from Boston to Nashua, New Hampshire. The type of morning where the cold air cuts through the layers of winter clothing, and puts a chill in your bones that lasts for hours. Even though it was only about an hour drive, the sun reflecting off the icy snow made traffic move much slower than it should.

At about the same time my care warmed up, I entered Nashua. A few blocks down on the main road I spotted Darrell’s Music Hall on my left. When I walked into the store I was impressed by the amount of pianos that were on display in all of the various showrooms. I walked further in the store where I was welcomed by warm smiles and friendly hellos, typical of New Hampshire residents.

After meeting founder Kenneth Darrell, and son, company president, K.C., we went into K.C.’s office to begin the interview. As soon as you enter K.C.’s office, you immediately sense the two most important things in his life are the Boston Red Sox and his family. One side of his office was covered with various photos, posters, newspaper clippings, and pennants of the now (finally) World Series Champions. The other side of the office was equally filled with old black and white photos of his dad, store openings, current photos of the three Darrell’s Music Hall’s located in Nashua, Portsmouth and Concord, New Hampshire, ribbon cuttings, and color photos of his family. As our conversation began, I was intrigued to hear the two generations of Darrell’s finish each other’s sentences, laugh at old memories, and share the history of Darrell’s Music Hall, which has been held together over the years by one common rule: family always comes first.

MMR: How did you become involved in the piano business?

Kenneth Darrell:
Many years prior to me opening Darrell’s Music Hall, I was working for Paine Furniture in Boston when I got the opportunity to start my own business with the help of a very gracious manufacturer called The Chicago Musical Instrument Company. It didn’t require any money to speak of, they would just let me have the merchandise, and when I made a sale, I would reimburse them for the cost of the piano and the freight.

MMR: When did you end up in New Hampshire?

KD: Around 1969 I had the opportunity to come up to New Hampshire. I looked to start my business in an area called Bedford, in a little mall. We found a place that was for sale, and with the blessing of Mr. Shearer, the owner of the Paine Furniture, we used their name and we became Paine Furniture Music Hall. After about a year he called me to his Boston office to congratulate me on doing such a good job in New Hampshire. He told me it was time to take down his name and put up my own, and that’s exactly what I did, and we officially became Darrell’s Music Hall.

MMR: Were you also a musician?

KD: Actually, I wasn’t a pianist but I used to sing quite a bit when I was much younger. I have always had that musician’s desire but I got away from singing to raise my family It wasn’t a difficult decision to make.

K.C. Darrell: I am going to have to interrupt on this one, but my dad’s a very modest man. He used to sing in a group called Ken Darrell and the Rock-aways. He even sang on the Dick Clark Show on Dick Clark’s birthday. When I was a young boy, the girls used to be ringing our doorbell to get his autograph. My Dad could’ve been the next Frank Sinatra, but he was a family man and always has been, so he got involved in the music business from a different angle. He gave up his real desire and worked a ton of jobs just to keep his wife and five children going. That’s the real story of how my dad got involved in the business, and I am very proud of him.

KD: Thanks K.C. I sometimes think of all the guys who stayed in the business, singing and traveling, but with wine, women and song, you don’t last too long. I often get together with my old gang in New York, where I grew up, and we came up with a new name for ourselves, The Last Chapter Club! We keep hoping that we are in the first pages of the last chapter! [laughs]

MMR: How did you decide to get involved in the business K.C.?

KCD: It goes way back to the Bedford Mall store my dad was talking about. A long time ago I was working in a restaurant called The Rusty Scupper in Acton, Mass., when I got a call from my folks saying they needed some help in New Hampshire. So, I packed up and moved home to help the family.

MMR: Did you start out in sales?
I started out moving pianos, and eventually worked my way to the Bedford Mall. But to be honest with you, I didn’t really care much for the business back then.

KD: It’s not a very glamorous business for a young person to be in.

KCD: At least not at 18. All I did was sit at the mall during the day, trying to learn the business, but not seeing enough action to learn. I ended up being bored with it.

MMR: It couldn’t have been that bad if you are still here?

KCD: Well, it took a while. After working the Bedford Mall, my dad gave me the opportunity to run the West Lebanon, NH store, and I did great, I loved it.

MMR: So you were a natural?

KCD: You could say that. We made great money that year and started organ clubs, piano clubs, and even had an old farmer who owned a pick-up truck deliver pianos for us for five dollars!

MMR: Are you the only child that got involved with the family business?

KCD: No, my brother Doug is a piano builder and a very fine technician. He has his own repair shop, but at our Concord location we have a place for him too. He is also out on the sales floor every once in a while. Jimmy and Robbie did trucking, and Susan was never involved.

MMR: You talked about Bedford Mall and West Lebanon, but don’t have these locations anymore. Can you give a timeline of your stores?

KD: We started in Bedford, but closed down that location when the Mall of New Hampshire opened. Then the picture started to blossom and Concord opened, and West Lebanon. We closed down West Lebanon soon after because it was really deep in New Hampshire, close to Vermont.

KCD: Bedford was 1969, right Dad?

KD: Actually, it was the fifth of December 1970, because it was your sister Susie’s birthday. Concord was 1972, and after that followed West Lebanon in 1975.

KCD: That would make the Mall of New Hampshire 1977, because that’s the year I got married.

KD: [laughs] A lot happened that year! Next came Nashua in 1983, and when was Portsmouth, K.C.?

KCD: Portsmouth opened in 1991.

KD: That’s right because that was the year that Bobby got his 1991 Subaru, no, excuse me, his 1991 Toyota Camry Wagon.

KCD: Bobby’s no longer with us, but he was a heck of a guy. Bobby was our Thomas Organ rep for years and a very close friend of the family.

MMR: Your three locations in Portsmouth, Nashua, and Concord seem to service the entire state.

KD: We call the area we cover the “Golden Triangle”.

KCD: From this location it’s about 45 minutes to Concord and an hour to Portsmouth. We have the Eastern, Northern and Southern part of New Hampshire covered. There’s not much in the Western part.

MMR: Is this location you’re busiest?

KD: It’s not just our busiest location, but it’s our main location. It’s sort of our flagship store.

MMR: How did you decide on it?

KCD: I was taking a ride in the Nashua area to see about possibly opening another store here, and drove by this location, which used to be Nutting’s Music. It was a great location so I called my dad right away and asked if he ever though about opening something in Nashua. He said to me, “Do you mean Nutting’s?” I am on the other phone with Bob Bickford, the owner of Nutting’s!” It was just meant to be. We came back to Nashua a few days later and wrote the thing up in a week, and shortly thereafter we were up and running.

MMR: That worked out well.

KD: It was a no brainer and Nutting’s had a strong reputation. It was a music store for over 90 years before we took it over. Bob Bickford even came to work with us for 15 years after that. We worked out a good business deal with Bob and rented first before buying.

MMR: I know Nashua is KC’s store, but what location are you at the most Ken?

KD: I am mostly in Concord, but I am semi-retired now. I wish I knew how to fully retire!

KCD: He’s going to Florida next week for a few months, then comes back and works the rest of the time. I would rather see him active.

KD: I try to help out wherever I can.

KCD: He helps out tremendously, my dad is a big schmoozer.

MMR: I can tell! Let’s talk about how your three locations differ.

KCD: We have about 12,000 square feet here, which is enough to show about 30 grand pianos at once, several verticals, and two full lines of digital pianos. The Portsmouth and Concord stores have about 3,300 square feet, which is still a good display area. In Concord we are in with somebody else, not quite a partnership, but more of a friendly thing. I mean this is New Hampshire, so a handshake is as good as a lease! We are with a place called Strings n’Things.

KD: The man that owns Strings n’Things has a great reputation, and is a very nice guy. He used to have a little hole in the wall store but wanted to go bigger, so he approached us. He has done very well for himself.

MMR: How many employees do you have at each location?

KCD: In this store we have seven. The other locations are basically two in each store with a floater in between

MMR: How’s your retention?

KCD: In over 20 years, I have only let 2 people go due to performance issues…

(more articles will be posted shortly!)