DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — An iconic piano sign along Interstate 85 in DeKalb County is being removed, marking the end of a 42-year era for Cooper Piano.
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The large piano sign, which has been a part of the local skyline for decades, is being taken down as Blake Cooper, the president of Cooper Piano, retires and sells the building. The business will continue under the leadership of his niece, Laura Cooper.
“My whole life, I’ve been driving by this sign and coming into the store. It’s a part of me in a really weird way. It’s just a sign—a piano—but it’s not. It represents so much,” said Laura Cooper.
The piano sign was inspired by a similar marketing strategy seen by Blake Cooper’s father in Houston, where a large piano sign helped a dealer attract business from freeway traffic.
“Dispensing happiness. Selling pianos. Putting music into people’s homes. I feel so lucky,” Laura Cooper said.
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Blake Cooper plans to spend much of his retirement in Costa Rica, while Laura Cooper is set to continue the family tradition of selling pianos and bringing music into people’s homes.
The Cooper Piano business dates back five generations to 1906, starting in Pittsburgh, PA, before moving to Atlanta in the 1970s.
The original blueprints of the sign show it as a 12-foot structure, although its exact weight remains unknown.
Due to permitting issues, the piano sign cannot be installed at the new location in Chamblee, prompting its removal.
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