Martens Brothers Music Store

Paul A. Schmitt works for Martens Brothers music store in New York City

Century Piano Company

Minneapolis-based Century Piano Company conducts a nationwide search for someone to manage their sheet music department. Paul A. Schmitt makes the trek from New York City and takes the job.

First Schmitt Music Store

Paul A. Schmitt leaves Century Piano Company and begins the job of building a major retail music company for the Upper Midwest. The first Schmitt Music store opens at 606 Nicollet, Minneapolis.

Schmitt Music grows as a music dealer

Schmitt Music begins publishing school music

Schmitt Music Company is incorporated

Schmitt Music Moves

Paul A. Schmitt and son, Robert A., move the store from its Nicollet Avenue location to 8th Street in Minneapolis

A record department is added

Schmitt Music Expands

Schmitt Music company expands, moving from 77 South Eighth Street to 25 South Eight Street

Robert A. Schmitt becomes president

Schmitt Music introduces music clinics

Schmitt Music Moves

President Robert A. Schmitt moves the main store to South 10th Street in Minneapolis

A recording studio is added

Larger Store

December 6, 1941, President Robert A. Schmitt signs the mortgage for a larger store. He is devastated when he hears the news of Pearl Harbor the very next morning

Schmitt Music adds a piano department

5th Floor is Added

The 5th floor is added to the Minneapolis store for a warehouse and a piano rebuild shop

Schmitt Music Company enters Keyboard business

Schmitt Music company enters the keyboard business with Everett, Cable Nelson, Fischer and Knabe pianos and Conn organs

Schmitt Music buys Hall & McCreary Co.

Schmitt Music buys Hall & McCreary Co. of Chicago, one of the nations's largest publishers of choral music. Initially merged as Schmitt, Hall & McCreary Company, it will become Schmitt Publications, a subsidiary of Schmitt Music Company. This acquisition makes them the largest standard of music publisher west of Philadelphia

Robert A. Schmitt Resigns

Robert A. Schmitt resigns as president and becomes chairman of the board of directors and Robert P. Schmitt becomes president of the company.

Schmitt Music adds Martin guitar line

Schmitt Music adds the Martin guitar line. Today, Schmitt Music is the oldest Martin guitar dealer in Minnesota

Exclusive Steinway Piano Dealer

Schmitt Music becomes the region's exclusive Steinway & Sons piano dealer

Schmitt Music opens stores in downtown St. Paul

Schmitt Music opens stores in downtown St. Paul (relocated to Brooklyn Center in 1977) and Robbinsdale

Schmitt Music opens a store in Edina, Minnesota

Schmitt Music buys Bach Music Co.

Schmitt Music buys Bach Music Co. in Rochester, Minnesota and opens a store in Apache Mall

Schmitt Music adds a store in Virginia, Minnesota

The Music Wall!

The Music Wall! At the company headquarters in Minneapolis, 32 windows are bricked up and painted to provide the mural background for a portion of Scarbo from Maurice Ravel's piano work Gaspard de la Nuit

Stores are added in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and in Duluth, Minnesota

Schmitt Music purchases Daveau Music in Fargo, North Dakota

Schmitt Music opens in Crossroads Mall, St. Cloud, Minnesota

Schmitt Music buys Day Music Company

Schmitt Music buys Day Music Company in Wisconsin and adds it to the Schmitt Music Company family with a store in Eau Claire

3 Schmitt Music stores are added in Minnesota

Schmitt Music stores are added at Maplewood Mall, Northtown Shopping Center and Burnsville Center

Schmitt Music Company purchases Hospe Music in Omaha, Nebraska

Tom Schmitt becomes president

Wells Music

Schmitt Music Company buys Wells Music, a prominent keyboard retailer in Colorado, since 1919

Wells Music adds a musical instrument division

Inducted into Hall of Fame

Schmitt Music is the fourth retailer inducted into the Music Inc. "Retailing Hall of Fame"

Restores Ravel music mural

As part of our 100th year celebration, Schmitt Music restores its landmark Ravel music mural on the downtown Minneapolis store

Acquires Jenkins Music Company

Schmitt Music acquires the Jenkins Music Company and adds four stores in Missouri and Kansas City

The "Jenkins Music" name changes to Schmitt Music in October 1999

Schmitt Music sells 10th Street location

After 63 years at the 10th Street location, Schmitt Music sells the building and moves its business offices to Butler Square and retail sales to Brooklyn Center

Official Piano Partner

Schmitt Music becomes the "Official Piano Partner" of The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Minnesota Orchcestra, and Steinway becomes the "Official Piano" of both venues

Schmitt Music opens a new Wells Music store in Colorado Springs

Robert P. Schmitt dies (April 14, 2005)

Partnership with Jordan Kitt's Music

Schmitt Music in partnership with Jordan Kitt's Music, buys the Beautiful Sound piano stores in Chicago

Schmitt Music creates a new line of pianos, Cristofori

New location!

Schmitt Music opens a new musical instrument (MI) location in Coon Rapids, Minnesota

Schmitt Music received Steinway's Dealer of the Year award

Schmitt Music's 50th Anniversary as a Steinway & Sons piano dealer

NAMM's Top 100 Dealer Awards

At NAMM's Top 100 Dealer Awards, Schmitt Music wins Best Marketing & Sales Promotion and Best Support Music Advocacy

Peter Schmitt, son of Tom Schmitt, joins the company and became the Orchestra Division Manager

In 2016, Ted Schmitt, son of VP Doug Schmitt, joins the company

Acquires Reynolds Music

Schmitt Music acquires Reynolds Music in Anoka, Minnesota. The store becomes Schmitt Music Anoka.

Peter Schmitt becomes the 5th-Generation CEO of Schmitt Music

Schmitt Music HQ and the Brooklyn Center store moves to Bloomington.