Hartman’s grocery store will announce as early as this week if it plans to reinstate its famed piano, after its removal in early January struck a chord with community members, according to Somerset Ward Coun. Diane Holmes.
The piano sat in the produce section of the store and was open to use by the public, with a community seating area around it.
“A lot of people in Centretown are mourning the fact that the piano is gone,” Holmes said. “It gave a human face to the store. The people want to maintain community life.”
Holmes said the store’s manager, Robert St-Amour, told her he would try to find another spot in the store that could accommodate the piano, though without a seating area. The two met last Tuesday, with representatives of the Facebook group ‘Bring Back the Hartman’s Piano’ and the Centretown Citizens Community Association.
“The latest I’ve heard from our vice-president, who went to the meeting, was that Hartman’s is 100 per cent not able to bring back the community space in there,” said Shawn Menard, president of the CCCA. “We were disappointed in that. […] We enjoyed the free community space as well as the piano.”
Holmes said Hartman’s will definitely not pay piano players to entertain in the store any longer, though if reinstated, it would remain open to free use by the public.
“I was asking if they needed help in financing to get it tuned or repairs, but St-Amour said it wasn’t a matter of money, just a matter of space,” said Holmes. “He’s trying to find a location anywhere the piano can be put and staff can keep an eye on it.”
The piano is the personal property of the store’s owner, Larry Hartman. Since it was removed, a Facebook advocacy group began, which had 1,346 members on Feb. 8.
“I think it’s a unique piece of the store,” Holmes said. “The community loves the piano, and they like to know community people are playing it. It was very popular.”
St-Amour was not available for comment.