By Nancy Brumback, Contributing Writer
Marlborough – Need to move a piano from here to there? Bushell Piano Movers has been doing that since 1969, and can handle just about any piano move, whether it’s moving an upright to a condo in the same town or moving a pair of $114,000 Steinway grand pianos to Kuwait for an oil industry executive.
The business started back in 1969 when Elsworth and Ethel Moody opened a piano and organ store and music studio in Framingham. Several years later, their daughter Jean and her husband, Raymond Bushell, expanded the family business, and added Bushell Piano Movers, with a warehouse and showroom in Marlborough. Jean died two years ago, “but our family is committed to continuing the high standards that Jean established for our companies,” Bushell said.
Today, Bushell continues as owner of the business, their son runs the piano rebuilding shop, their daughters help with the business part-time, and the fourth generation is coming up, with Bushell’s grandson currently a foreman on one of the trucks.
“We move between 1,500 and 2,000 pianos a year, but we know yours is the only one we are doing for you,” said Bushell. “We train our people from the ground up. Many people can move furniture, but pianos are different. We do what we know, and we do it well.
“When my guys deliver a piano, everyone is happy. It’s a joyful occasion,” he added.
The company focuses on moving pianos throughout New England, New York and New Jersey, and down the East Coast to Florida. Bushell does move pianos as far west as the Mississippi, and can handle the complete arrangements to move a piano anywhere. Bushell has shipped pianos to South Africa, Israel, China, England and Colombia.
“We also do about six or seven ‘in-house’ moves every week,” he noted. In those cases, the crew is moving a piano to another location in the home, most often to accommodate customers having floors refinished or new carpet installed, or just to relocate the piano to a different room.
“We are very proud of our staff,” Bushell said. Many of them have worked for the company for years, and he likes to hire firefighters, both active and retired. “One Framingham firefighter has been working for us for 24 years.”
The company handles equipment moves for professional musicians and for Symphony Hall in Boston. The list has included Aerosmith, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, The Who, Michael Buble and jazz great Chick Corea.
Along with the moving services, Bushell Piano Movers offers secure storage for pianos at its warehouse, piano tuning, and refinishing and rebuilding services.
Bushell also sells new and used pianos, with over 200 in stock. Each piano the company sells comes with a free piano bench, free in-home tuning and free delivery. Bushell offers a lifetime trade-up agreement, crediting the full price of the piano purchased to any future trade up to a more expensive model.
Bushell also buys pianos and will bring pianos to the warehouse to sell on consignment.
Bushell Piano Movers is located at 796 Boston Post Road East (Route 20) in Marlborough. For information about moving a piano, call 508-877-2227.
Hours for retail piano sales are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and other times by appointment. Additional information is available on the website, www.bushellpianomovers.com.