If you ever visited Vern Schafer's chain of stores, you'd have no doubt
as to what kind of products he sold.  I went to his original, largest
store in the mid 1970's in Colton, California, looking for an
affordable piano for myself, and all he had to show me were pianos of
the same caliber that we sold for $50-$75 at Tom Bunch's store in
Denver when I worked there in 1971.  However, he wanted a minimum of
$500-$800 for them.  These were beat up old uprights and spinets that
hadn't been cleaned up, tuned, regulated or repaired in any way.  His
piano store in Colton was called Colton Piano Superstore or some such,
and of course he advertised on TV right alongside Cal Worthington and
his dog "Spot" -- all those loud horrible ads that came on later at
night or in the middle of the day if you were watching TV then.

Dan Armstrong - Armstrong Piano Tuning & Repair
Pine River, Minnesota