How We Started
In 1959, Piano Distributors’ Founder, William Clifton "Bill" Boyce, Jr., started working at his uncle’s music store located in Raleigh, North Carolina, at the age of 19 as a salesperson. In 1962, they opened a second store in Durham, North Carolina. Bill bought that store from his uncle in 1968 and named the new business “Bill Boyce Music Center.” Soon after, in 1969, he opened a second location in Burlington, North Carolina. After a change in merchandising, the company finally changed its name to Piano & Organ Distributors in 1976. These early stages in his business helped start his six-decade career in the music business. In 1982, Piano Distributors became an authorized dealer for Yamaha Pianos, the world's largest manufacturer of musical instruments.
How We Made Our Way
In 1993, Bill Boyce married Sandra "Sandy" McCowen and moved to Florida to retire together. Piano Distributors in North Carolina was turned over to Bill’s son, Cliff. This retirement was short-lived and the two realized their love and enthusiasm for the piano business was too great to leave it behind. The Boyce’s had been so successful selling Yamaha pianos in North Carolina, Yamaha offered Bill and Sandy the Florida market. They opened the first Florida Piano Distributors store in Sarasota in 2001. After opening several stores throughout Florida and Georgia, they opened a warehouse/delivery center in Palmetto, Florida.
Bill Boyce, Jr., passed away peacefully in his sleep on February 2, 2019, in Bradenton, Florida, at the age of 78. Bill was best defined as a tireless entrepreneur, savvy businessman, guiding mentor, devoted husband and wonderfully loving father. He left behind one of the most successful piano store chains in the nation, with thousands of satisfied customers largely in the Southeast.
