Family Piano Co. has opened on Genesee Street which the two owners hope will draw music-loving families from all over the Chicago area to their showroom. It is filled with as many as 35 pianos - grand, upright, baby, used and new.

Its flagship is the Perzina line, one of the most prestigious brands from Germany. It also carries Steinberg and Ebel as well as a variety of refurbished pianos, both starter and vintage ones.

Owners are Alice Alviani and Mark MacLeod, with 35 years experience as tuners and technicians between them.

"We want to touch people with music. A house is not a home without a piano," said Alviani who has lived in Waukegan 26 years and has operated a music business out of her home before opening the store.

"I've had over 1,000 piano tuning customers for the past 12 years" said the mother of three children who has sung for the Waukegan Concert Chorus and also the First Presbyterian Church.

While she plays the piano beautifully, she gave credit to MacLeod, her business partner, as the better pianist. MacLeod xxxx however.

The two business partners named their venture Family Piano Co. because "we genuinely want our customers to feel like they are a part of our family."

Anyone who buys a piano from them, she said, will get six months of free lessons from MacLeod.

"He'll teach you how to play a song from the beginning," she promised.

Learning to play the piano, she said, teaches coordination, builds confidence and strengthens memory, especially for children.

"For adults, it is good for the spirit," she added.

Are pianos for the rich?

"No, they are much cheaper than a car," she said.

You can get a used, refurbished one for under $1,000, but a new one costs $2,500 or more. The most expensive one at the store, a grand Perzina, costs $25,000. The store also rents pianos.