When researching the history of the Del Padre Music Shop in Holyoke, I found it interesting that the store’s merchandising and sales promotions mirrored those of its predecessor, the Kathleen Smith Music Shop. So it’s time to learn a little more about Kathleen Smith and her business.
Kathleen Smith was born in Chicopee on October 1, 1901 and was educated at the Holy Rosary School in Holyoke. Her late-teen work years show her as a bookkeeper at a music store. It was discovered that Ms. Smith spent many years employed at the J. G. Heidner & Son Music Shop.
At age 38, with many years of experience in the music and musical instrument business, she and a partner, Rene Viens, opened their own shop at 260 Maple Street, opposite the Strand Theater. The shop celebrated its grand opening on November 2, 1939, and featured name-brand radios and record players, along with sheet music, musical instruments, records, and related supplies.
To attract customers, recording artists playing at area venues would appear at the shop. In 1941, the store advertised pianos for sale with trade-ins taken. Classical and operatic recordings were listed by composer and title. The shop placed an ad in 1943 seeking to purchase 5,000 record albums to add to its inventory for resale.
In 1944, the store opened a second location at 1 College Street in South Hadley. In addition to musical items for sale, the Kathleen Smith Music Shop also sold military-related items for those in the service. This included duffle and furlough bags, shoe shine kits, money belts and sewing kits.
The shop was the downtown box office for plays and musical events scheduled at the Valley Arena, Mt. Tom Playhouse, War Memorial and other area venues. Over 4,000 tickets were available at the store for Charles D. Coe’s technicolor sound movies from Mexico, scheduled to be shown at Mackenzie Stadium.
In 1945, the shop moved to a larger space at 267-269 Maple Street. By 1950, appliances were available for sale, and the following year, ads were placed for televisions. For a time, the business was also known as Kathleen Smith Music Shop & Modern Appliance.
In 1957, the South Hadley satellite store was located in the College Inn. The shop carried records, phonographs and accessories. Ms. Smith had moved from Holyoke to South Hadley around 1950, and the shop was within walking distance from her apartment.
In March 1960, Louis Del Padre joined in the management of the store. He owned several wholesale audio and video outlets in Western and Central Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
In 1960, the store advertised the Magnus Electric Chord Organ, which one could learn to play on one’s own.
Ms. Smith was in failing health at the time of the new management arrangement. She died later that year, leaving a lifelong legacy of commitment and passion for music and the music business.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; publication dates and pages are shown.
Ancestry.com (paid subscription): Price & Lee, Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directories
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