Welcome to LivingPianos.com, I’m Robert Estrin. Today, I’m going to tell you what the greatest challenge has been with moving to Cleveland. Believe it or not, it’s finding enough great piano technicians! We started LivingPianos.com as the world’s First Online Piano Store in Orange County, California, in 2006, doing over 80% of our business out of the area. We were in one of the most expensive places in the country. And we lamented that we had to spend so much money to do business there when we were selling most of our business out of the area.
My sister, Coren Estrin Mino, is also a pianist.
She graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Music years ago, and she settled here. She’s a pianist and a teacher. So I’m no stranger to Cleveland. But think of the arduous task of moving our store with dozens of pianos. We had a recording studio. We even had an Airbnb we rented out. Not to mention our home. Moving was a huge undertaking, but it has been incredibly worthwhile!
We loved Southern California.
We were 20 minutes away from Laguna Beach. We have friends there who we loved to visit. But coming home, if it was after 2:00 pm, we would be stuck in rush hour traffic. We had to plan our whole day around the traffic. I don’t miss that. Of course, the weather in Cleveland cannot compare to Southern California. But there are a lot of great things about Cleveland.
Cleveland is a great place to live!
We’ve got the second-largest playhouse district in the country! The real blessing is having the Cleveland Orchestra 10 minutes away. There’s a necklace of metroparks around the city, and we are 10 minutes from the lake. So spread the word! If there’s anybody you know who works on pianos who would like a new life in a place that has a rich cultural history, Cleveland is the place. And it’s very affordable to live here. Come join our team of great technicians! Thanks again for joining me, Robert Estrin, here at LivingPianos.com, Your Online Piano Resource.
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Contact me if you are interested in private lessons. I have many resources for you! Robert@LivingPianos.com
4 thoughts on “The Greatest Challenge of Moving to Cleveland”
I know all too well about coming home to Warrenton, VA from DC after 2 PM. Impossible, even more than 3 hours instead of the standard 55 minutes. So DC is out for me. I love Cleveland, but with both hips replaced, I would be quite concerned about navigating through the winter in ice and snow! I still hope to make it to Cleveland for the International Piano Competition, and I hope to meet you in person! I will be staying in Euclid!
We are located 5 minutes from Euclid – so you are welcome to visit!
Robert
I’m originally from Michigan. I don’t think I can ever return to the snow. Cleveland was always a local joke. I love the sunshine here in L.A.
Jo S
Cleveland went from the center of commerce in the country 100 years ago, then in serious decline. It’s now a model for the country of how to revitalize downtown areas. They have turned empty office space which (plagues all American cities since Covid) into a vibrant community of residential, commercial and entertainment enterprises.