Colton Pianos

Dennis James recalls with a smile the day he visited Colton Piano as a teenager. He later worked for Colton founder, Vern Schaffer, getting the experience and training for the career he had dreamed of--opening his own piano and organ retail store. That dream was realized in northern San Diego County in 1992 when he opened The Piano Warehouse. The store grew as the surrounding cities, such as San Marcos and Vista, continued to grow. A new building was completed in 2004 in the lot next to his first location.

 Billy Shaw and his wife Donna opened Desert Piano in Palm Springs after working in a series of piano sales jobs, including one at Colton Piano where the couple met.  Billy is well known in the industry as a creative salesman and the inventor of the Piano Bar, which was introduced in the 1980s.  He also created a series of promotional programs and sales campaigns, several of which are still being used by piano retail stores around the country.  One of his most noted programs was based on the Three Bears story and relating it to a range of keyboard products he was selling.  Billy b

Billy Shaw and his wife Donna opened Desert Piano in Palm Springs after working in a series of piano sales jobs, including one at Colton Piano where the couple met. Billy is well known in the industry as a creative salesman and the inventor of the Piano Bar, which was introduced in the 1980s. He also created a series of promotional programs and sales campaigns, several of which are still being used by piano retail stores around the country. One of his most noted programs was based on the Three Bears story and relating it to a range of keyboard products he was selling. Billy began