The Seller Of Life And Dreams

Some people may believe that music is a luxury, but for those to whom it matters, such as the Heuer family, it’s more of a necessity.

- Glenneis Kriel

When it comes to selling, repairing and tuning musical instruments, the company W Heuer has established itself as one of the leaders in South Africa. The business did, however, have modest beginnings with Wolfgang Heuer initially travelling all over the Cape to tune and repair people’s pianos in their homes. His wife, Nora, also played a major role in the success of the business by not only supporting him, but even helping him with the repairs, which they at first did at their house. She also did the company’s books until a ripe old age.

Hans Heuer, one of Wolfgang’s sons, who today owns the business in conjunction with his brother, also Wolfgang, tells us more about establishing the business.

W Heuer was started by your father, Wolfgang Heuer. What did he do before establishing the business and what type of person was he?

My father was born in Kiel, Germany, in 1910. He became involved in the family’s piano business in Dortmund from a young age. It was started by his uncle in the early 1880s. He qualified as a piano building master in tuning, repairing and preparing grand pianos for concerts.

His career was interrupted by World War II. And after the war, work was so scarce in Germany that he and my mother, Nora, emigrated to SA together with my older sister, Traudel and my brother, Wolfgang Jr. A friend arranged for a job for him as workshop foreman at the former piano business, R. Muller.

My father was passionate about all musical instruments. He always said that he sold and serviced “living” things: not something that you simply buy and use up, but something that enriches your life. His endearing personality made him very popular among his customers and business partners.

When and why did he decide to start his own music business?