Werlein's for Music

In its last few years, the flagship store was on Veterans Highway in suburban Jefferson Parish. Through its history, its sales slogan was "Everything Musical", consistent with Werlein's for Music's intent of providing a one stop shopping experience for musicians and those interested in music.

It is associated with United States. The record gives 1852 as its date of establishment or first appearance. Activity is recorded as ending in 2003. Its recorded founders are P. Its recorded seat is New Orleans. The recorded field of activity is music publishing.

• Name — Werlein's for Music • Trade Name — Werlein's Werlein's for Music • Type — Retail Privately held • Industry — Music store Sheet music publisher • Fate — Liquidation • Predecessor — Ashbrand Music Company • Founded — 1854 by some accounts in 1842 • Founders — Philip P. Werlein • Defunct — 2003 03 26 • Hq Location City — 605 Canal Street New Orleans, Louisiana • Areas Served — New Orleans metropolitan area

In 1854, Philip Werlein entered the music retailing business in New Orleans, having purchased the New Orleans music business that belonged to L.C. Ashbrand. Werlein was an immigrant from Germany with a musical background who had previously settled in Vicksburg, Mississippi. In Vicksburg, Werlein was a music teacher who opened a music store there in 1842. For this reason, the founding of Werlein's for Music could be counted as 1842, rather than 1852 or 1854. After New Orleans was captured by the Union Army during the United States Civil War, business leaders and other prominent people in New Orleans were expected to sign an oath of allegiance to the United States. Werlein refused to do so and instead entered forced retirement in New Iberia, Louisiana. During that time, store employees hid away pianos. When hostilities ended, the hidden pianos provided inventory for the store so that it could quickly reopen, once again in New Orleans. • Illustration — Sheet music cover using the name of Philip Werlein as the publisher Following his return from New Iberia after the United States Civil War, Philip P. Werlein, Jr., joined his father in managing Werlein's for Music, eventually becoming the dominant partner. During the period of time shortly after the United States Civil War, many press reports about the business's activities did not distinguish between Philip P. Werlein and Philip P. Werlein, Jr. In its early history, Werlein's for Music moved between various addresses in the New Orleans Central Business District, including Camp Street and Baronne Street before locating to a four-story building at 605 Canal Street, where the store remained for almost all of the twentieth century. The name of the store also changed several times, particularly in its early history, with names including: P. P. Werlein & Halsey, Werlein Piano Company of New Orleans, Ashbrand & Werlein, Philip Werlein Ltd., House of Werlein, and P. P. Werlein & Shepherd, all before finally settling on Werlein's for Music. This remained the name of the stores for the majority of their history.

• Illustration — Store front of Grunewald Music Store on Canal Street in New Orleans in 1894 In the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, New Orleans was a cultural center, especially for the American South. At-home, amateur music performance as a form of home entertainment was prevalent, and so the market for sheet music was large, particularly for piano music and solo voice music. During that time period, New Orleans had several large music retailers and music publishing houses, the most dominant being Werlein's for Music, Grunewald House of Music, and Blackmar. The Grunewald House Of Music peaked as a retailer between 1900 and 1930. Louis Grunewald entered the music business selling several popular lines of upright and player pianos, and his store also offered pianos under the “L. Grunewald Piano Company” brand name. The name appears to be a private label brand manufactured by the Bradbury Piano Company and also by the Winter Piano Company. Werlein's for Music and Grunewald House of Music were both located on Canal Street nearby each other. Like Werlein's House of Music, Grunewald also had a theatre to serve as a music venue. In 1858, the brothers Armand Blackmar and Henry Clay Blackmar opened a music store in Vicksburg, Mississippi. In 1860, they relocated their business to New Orleans. Their business included music publishing. Armand Blackmar became a Civil War sympathizer and published much music on behalf of the Confederate cause. This included the piece The Bonnie Blue Flag, which became popular among people in the Confederate States of America. Armand Blackmar was arrested during the United States Civil War by Union General Benjamin Butler, being briefly imprisoned and then fined $500. His inventory was seized by the Union Army. For this reason, much of the Blackmar music business focused on music publishing when it reopened following the end of hostilities. Like Grunewald and Werlein, the Blackmar music business was also located on Canal Street in New Orleans for much of its history. It was reported that Blackmar worked as a clerk at Werlein's for Music for a time during that period, despite being competitors. The Blackmar music business appears to have faded by 1897. There were also a significant number of minor music publishers and music retailers in New Orleans and the region through the nineteenth century and through the first half of the twentieth century. However, Werlein's for Music was the most enduring of all the New Orleans area firms, including Grunewald and Blackmar.

By the late twentieth century and early twenty-first century, music retailing became increasingly dominated by internet sales, discount stores, and national chain music retailers. This new type of competition doomed Werlein's for Music. The main store on Canal Street closed in the early 1990s. Its last store, which was in suburban Metairie, Louisiana, closed in 2003. These new competitors had buying power that regional firms such as Werlein's for Music could not match. As of 2010, a remnant of the Werlein's for Music company continued to own the property where the Canal Street store was housed. A tenant included a high end restaurant. At the time that the last Werlein's for Music store closed in 2003, John Parham Werlein, great-grandson of the founder, was chairman of the board of the firm. At that time, Bitsie Werlein Mouton, great-great-granddaughter of the founder, was president of the firm. In 2003, Werlein's for Music was the oldest retailer in New Orleans. Following its liquidation in 2003, the owners donated company scrapbooks to The Historic New Orleans Collection. These scrapbooks emphasized the store's history in the nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth century.