Paighten HarkinsGoodbye, Daynes Music. Hello Steinway Piano Gallery.
After more than 150 years of dealing its Steinway & Sons pianos through the family-run Daynes Music Co., the eminent piano brand has chosen its new authorized dealer in Utah, the company announced Thursday.
Steinway Piano Gallery — Utah will open this May in Holladay, at 4644 S. Holladay Blvd. Longtime piano teacher Isaac Jackson will run the store in his hometown, the company said in a news release. It will be the state’s only authorized Steinway dealer.
“As a piano teacher for more than 20 years, it has been an immense privilege to share my love of piano music with my students,” he said in the release. “Music is such a vital component to who we are.”
The new store comes after Steinway dropped Daynes as its authorized Utah dealer. Daynes — which began selling Steinway pianos before Utah became a state — plans to shutter for good next month after selling its remaining inventory.
The Daynes family had said that they were stepping away from the piano business on their own terms, but Steinway’s decision to go with another dealer did force their hand, Susan Daynes said Tuesday. She said the company told them in December they were moving on to a new dealer.
“Without Steinway, there’s nothing for us, for the store,” she said, “because Steinway was the only franchise we had.”
If they had stocked other brands, maybe the store could have continued for a few more years.
“But we didn’t,” she said. “We did everything for Steinway.”
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) A photo of the Daynes Music location on Main Street in Salt Lake City in 1947, on display at Daynes Music Co. in Midvale on Thursday, March 5, 2026.
Anthony Gilroy, Steinway’s vice president of marketing and communications, told The Salt Lake Tribune that his company began looking for a new Utah dealer after the Daynes’ plan to sell their business last year fell through.
“When it became apparent that deal was not imminent,” Gilroy said, “we took the steps to look for another dealership that would be Steinway-caliber in every way, as Daynes Music was for so many decades.
“We feel strongly that we have found that dealership in Steinway Piano Gallery of Utah,” he continued.
Like Daynes Music, Jackson’s new store will carry a complete line of Steinway-designed instruments, including the cheaper Boston and Essex brands. And, like Daynes, its showroom will provide space for pianists to play, practice, record and perform, according to the press release.
The new store is scheduled to hold grand-opening events on May 8 and 9.
