Keeping up with past and present happenings in a remarkable small town.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Harvey Trader ~ Butler's Music Store
As it was back in the 40s and 50s. Located on East North Street. A delightful store.
19 comments:
Anonymous
said...
I took piano lessons there every saturday in the late 60's from miss Idelle Mays who was also a substitute teacher i saw from time to time in elementary school. Mr Trader invited me into his office one saturday and showed me all his old phongraphs and pictures. He told me about his younger days working for Thomas Edison. 38 years later I still remember him as a nice man who took some time and left quite an impression on a young boy.
I remember it well. Looking through the records, playing them in the little booths, buying reeds for my saxophone......... LOL Have to get that thing out and play it again. I haven't been back to Butler in over 20 years, what is there now?
He taught accordion and keyboard lessons at Traders. He also was a geography teacher in the early 50's and eventually was a school principal at Institute Hill and McQuistion, along with several others.
I loved going into this store. i still have a 78rpm yellow record of the story of "Alladin" that I bought there. Also a lot of show albums. I loved the listening booths they had.
Mr. & Mrs. Trader were my Grandparents and I remember many wonderful times in the store. My sisters and I used to love our week long visits with our Grandparents because we got to "work in the store" and listen to as many records in the record booths as we wanted to. We felt so "grown up" to work in the store. I remember many long talks with my Grandfater about Thomas Edison. My Grandmother used to tell us "If you want to get him to talk for hours just ask him about Mr. Edison." They gave us so many wonderful childhood memories. My Uncle, Dick May has moved the store to another location in Butler but carries on the business as Mays Music Store today. J. Morgan
Traders was great, but there were other places that sold records in Butler. They were sold in the basement of Woolworths and Dick Qutan had a record store called Mr. Q's. Thare may have been others. If you'd like to know what songs were popular in a particular year go to the Casbox Magazine web site. A lot of recording artists came from Pittsburg, but were there ever any from Butler? Beth Taylor comes to mind and Dan Schall (gospel).
I REMEMBER A SLIM, RED HEADED, NICE DRESSING, POINTY TOE SUEDE SHOED, INTENSE MR. BERTOCKI WHO MAY HAVE BEEN A HOME ROOM TEACHER OF MINE AT LYNDORA--7TH GRADE. I GOT IN TROUBLE FOR STOPPING TO GET A DRINK AT A HALL FOUNTAIN BETWEEN CLASSES. SINCE JUST COMING FROM 6TH GRADE AT BON AIRE, I WASN'T AWARE OF THIS PARTICULAR RULE--SCARED THE BEJESUS OUT OF ME. THE REVOLUTION CONTINUES! RUSS TURNER
MY SISTER, ROSEMARY, AND I RECEIVED PIANO LESSONS IN THE BASEMENT AT TRADERS. SHE WAS ALWAYS WELL PREPARED AND I WOULD STUMBLE AROUND, MOSTLY BECAUSE I HADN'T LOOKED AT THE PIANO IN THE INTERVENING WEEK. DESCRIBED AS HAVING A "BEAUTIFUL TOUCH", IT WAS PROBABLY BECAUSE I WASN'T SURE WHICH KEY I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE PLAYING--HOW SENSITIVE! THE RECORD STORE WAS FABULOUS. THEY WOULD GET THE ALBUM OUT YOU WANTED TO HEAR--VERY CAREFULLY--AND YOU'D LISTEN TO IT IN ONE OF THE BOOTHS. I'M SURE I STILL HAVE SOME OF THE ALBUMS BOUGHT AT TRADERS--EVEN THE PAT BOONE ONE I HAD TO BUY BECAUSE ELVIS WASN'T ALLOWED IN MY HOUSE. PAT WAS SUCH A NICE BOY. MY MOST INDELIBLE MEMORY WAS WAITING, WITH MY SISTER, AFTER OUR LESSONS, FOR MY MOTHER, WHO HAD NO SENSE OF TIME WHATSOEVER, PICK US UP. THE STORE'S LIGHTS WOULD TURN OFF, THE STAFF WOULD LEAVE, AND STILL THE TURNER KIDS WAITED, HUDDLED IN THE ENTRY WAY, SNOW SWIRLING ABOUT OUR HEADS. DICK MAY, WHO HAD A BEAUTIFUL BABY BLUE MODEL "A", I THINK, STOPPED ONE NIGHT AND ASKED IF HE SHOULD CALL SOMEONE. TURNING OUR BRAVE LITTLE CHINS INTO THE GATHERING STORM OF THE ALREADY DARK NIGHT, I SAID, "NO--MY MOTHER WILL PICK US UP" SHE MUST HAVE AS I'M STILL AROUND. RUSS TURNER
My mother worked there for some time demonstrating pianos. I would go in sometimes to visit and say hello to Harvey. He would ask me to play with my mom on two different pianos. We sounded like one piano, our style was so similar. I remember those moments with great nostalgia. My mother's name was Doris. She also had a radio program on WISR for a short time. It was called Memory Lane. My mom would have been 104 on Mar. 2, 2010.
I too took piano lessons from ms. Mays. I can remember in 1963 or 1964 shopping with my grandmother for a new piano and to my surprise the piano was delivered to me for my birthday. I still have that piano sitting in my entry way.
As it was back in the 40s and 50s. Located on East North Street. A delightful store. 
19 comments:
I took piano lessons there every saturday in the late 60's from miss Idelle Mays who was also a substitute teacher i saw from time to time in elementary school. Mr Trader invited me into his office one saturday and showed me all his old phongraphs and pictures. He told me about his younger days working for Thomas Edison. 38 years later I still remember him as a nice man who took some time and left quite an impression on a young boy.
I remember it well. Looking through the records, playing them in the little booths, buying reeds for my saxophone......... LOL Have to get that thing out and play it again. I haven't been back to Butler in over 20 years, what is there now?
Remember it well! Trumpet lessons down the stairs in the back to the basement EVERY Monday evening.
Sat. AM trumpet classes. This was after my Confirmation class at the First English Luthern Church
My father, Richard Bertocki, used to teach music lessons downstairs in this building. Does anyone remeber him?
My dad bought a guitar from Mr. Trader. And an accordian for our mom. Lots of musical memories emanated from that store.
Mr. Bertocki...that name is very familiar.
I had a Mr Bertocki for American History at BHS in summer of 1963.
Bob Dorcy
He taught accordion and keyboard
lessons at Traders. He also was a
geography teacher in the early 50's and eventually was a school principal at Institute Hill and
McQuistion, along with several others.
Click:
Obituary of Richard Bartocki
I loved going into this store. i still have a 78rpm yellow record of the story of "Alladin" that I bought there. Also a lot of show albums. I loved the listening booths they had.
Mr. & Mrs. Trader were my Grandparents and I remember many wonderful times in the store. My sisters and I used to love our week long visits with our Grandparents because we got to "work in the store" and listen to as many records in the record booths as we wanted to. We felt so "grown up" to work in the store. I remember many long talks with my Grandfater about Thomas Edison. My Grandmother used to tell us "If you want to get him to talk for hours just ask him about Mr. Edison." They gave us so many wonderful childhood memories. My Uncle, Dick May has moved the store to another location in Butler but carries on the business as Mays Music Store today.
J. Morgan
Traders was great, but there were other places that sold records in Butler. They were sold in the basement of Woolworths and Dick Qutan had a record store called Mr. Q's. Thare may have been others. If you'd like to know what songs were popular in a particular year go to the Casbox Magazine web site. A lot of recording artists came from Pittsburg, but were there ever any from Butler? Beth Taylor comes to mind and Dan Schall (gospel).
Sorry - that should be Cashbox Magazine - go to www.hometown.aol.com/randypny/cashbox
Norman Saleet now lives in Hollywood. He wrote "Here I Am"
a hit for Air Supply. He has written hit songs for others and some movie scores.
I REMEMBER A SLIM, RED HEADED, NICE DRESSING, POINTY TOE SUEDE SHOED, INTENSE MR. BERTOCKI WHO MAY HAVE BEEN A HOME ROOM TEACHER OF MINE AT LYNDORA--7TH GRADE. I GOT IN TROUBLE FOR STOPPING TO GET A DRINK AT A HALL FOUNTAIN BETWEEN CLASSES. SINCE JUST COMING FROM 6TH GRADE AT BON AIRE, I WASN'T AWARE OF THIS PARTICULAR RULE--SCARED THE BEJESUS OUT OF ME.
THE REVOLUTION CONTINUES!
RUSS TURNER
MY SISTER, ROSEMARY, AND I RECEIVED PIANO LESSONS IN THE BASEMENT AT TRADERS. SHE WAS ALWAYS WELL PREPARED AND I WOULD STUMBLE AROUND, MOSTLY BECAUSE I HADN'T LOOKED AT THE PIANO IN THE INTERVENING WEEK. DESCRIBED AS HAVING A "BEAUTIFUL TOUCH", IT WAS PROBABLY BECAUSE I WASN'T SURE WHICH KEY I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE PLAYING--HOW SENSITIVE!
THE RECORD STORE WAS FABULOUS. THEY WOULD GET THE ALBUM OUT YOU WANTED TO HEAR--VERY CAREFULLY--AND YOU'D LISTEN TO IT IN ONE OF THE BOOTHS. I'M SURE I STILL HAVE SOME OF THE ALBUMS BOUGHT AT TRADERS--EVEN THE PAT BOONE ONE I HAD TO BUY BECAUSE ELVIS WASN'T ALLOWED IN MY HOUSE. PAT WAS SUCH A NICE BOY.
MY MOST INDELIBLE MEMORY WAS WAITING, WITH MY SISTER, AFTER OUR LESSONS, FOR MY MOTHER, WHO HAD NO SENSE OF TIME WHATSOEVER, PICK US UP. THE STORE'S LIGHTS WOULD TURN OFF, THE STAFF WOULD LEAVE, AND STILL THE TURNER KIDS WAITED, HUDDLED IN THE ENTRY WAY, SNOW SWIRLING ABOUT OUR HEADS. DICK MAY, WHO HAD A BEAUTIFUL BABY BLUE MODEL "A", I THINK, STOPPED ONE NIGHT AND ASKED IF HE SHOULD CALL SOMEONE. TURNING OUR BRAVE LITTLE CHINS INTO THE GATHERING STORM OF THE ALREADY DARK NIGHT, I SAID, "NO--MY MOTHER WILL PICK US UP" SHE MUST HAVE AS I'M STILL AROUND.
RUSS TURNER
Bought my first classical LP there as a kid...Grand Canyon Suite by Ferde Grofe! I later purchased a Bernstein recording of selections from Swan Lake!
My mother worked there for some time demonstrating pianos. I would go in sometimes to visit and say hello to Harvey. He would ask me to play with my mom on two different pianos. We sounded like one piano, our style was so similar. I remember those moments with great nostalgia. My mother's name was Doris. She also had a radio program on WISR for a short time. It was called Memory Lane. My mom would have been 104 on Mar. 2, 2010.
I too took piano lessons from ms. Mays. I can remember in 1963 or 1964 shopping with my grandmother for a new piano and to my surprise the piano was delivered to me for my birthday. I still have that piano sitting in my entry way.
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