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East Meets West in Somerville The Pianosmith, a piano shop
on East Main Street in Somerville, New Jersey, became New Jersey’s
first authorized dealer of Hailun pianos. It selected Hailun pianos not
only because of the quality of sound and playability but also because
of the integrity of the people involved in the company. Hailun is the
only privately owned piano manufacturer in China, and is owned and
operated by Hailun Chen, who attests to the instrument's quality by
putting his name on each piano built. Chen personally paid for Mary and Ken Smith, owners
of the Pianosmith, to visit the factory in Ningbo in April. As a
gesture of kindness and appreciation for participating, the Smiths
recieved an extensive tour of both Shanghai and Beijing, stayed in top
hotels, and taken to high quality restaurants. They toured the Great
Wall, the main venues for the Olympic Games, and the Hailun factory as
well. What the Smiths found was the
center of a global industry of fine pianos. The couple were surprised
at the extent to which the instruments were handcrafted and the care
that went into every aspect of the pianos. Chen
proved to be a highly attentive and gracious host, even sharing several
meals with the Smiths. Despite language barriers, Chen succeeded in
making the Pianosmith feel like a welcome and appreciated member of the
Hailun family. Home | About Us | Our Pianos | Tuning | Restoration & Repair | Maintenance | Contact Us | Directions | Feedback 136 E. Main Street, Somerville, NJ 08876 * 908-526-4334 |
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SOMERVILLE -- - Most people don’t think of pianos as a market that
promotes transnational business and globalized commerce, but the
Pianosmith’s recent trip to a Chinese piano manufacturer proved
otherwise.
The
Smith’s trip speaks to a new era of transnational business,
incorporating personal service and face-to-face contact with the
comforts and ease of a globalized economy. The Pianosmith became a
piano dealer of internationally constructed pianos almost overnight;
the Smiths found the company on the Internet and met a representative
at the Piano Technicians Guild convention in 2007. After learning of
the instrument’s quality, the Smiths found that becoming an authorized
dealer became the next step. Their trip to China shows that even in an
increasingly international economy, the personal touch of face-to-face
interaction still exists, even across oceans and continents.