VALE Pianos is a specialist piano shop near Pershore offering new and used pianos, as well as repairs, servicing and piano hire.

Proprietor of Vale Pianos, Linda Lowe, 58, founded the shop with her husband Craig, 55, in 1998 having worked on her parents’ farm where converted farm buildings house the showrooms and workshops.

Linda said the move was something they had been looking at for a long time, saying: “My husband qualified as a piano tuner in 1982 and we worked for a number of piano shops but we wanted to try and make it our own. When the opportunity came for us to take on the farm, we decided to go into business with our own shop.

"We wanted to provide pianos that would encourage people to play and to be long-lasting.

"There are over 5,000 moving parts in a piano, so it was important to make sure we had a team in place who had the necessary knowledge and expertise.

"We always ask our customers many questions so that we can find the right piano for their needs.

"From the weight of the keys to the tone of the piano there are lots of things to consider and so it is very important.

“The ability of the player is important too so even though people can look online at hundreds of pianos, it isn’t until they sit down at the piano that they can make a decision on whether it is right for them.”

What has kept the company going when so many other piano shops have gone out of business is the rural location and the range of services they offer.

Linda said: “We don’t just sell pianos, we refurbish them, restore hire and move themwith our specially trained team.

"We also uniquely recycle old piano cases by converting them to digital – Digital Conversions – to have a wide range of products and services to keep the business moving forward.

"It is very important as having different things you can do keeps the business moving with the times."