The Critchett Family – Since 1922
Critchett Piano Company was founded in 1922 by Bert Critchett, was first located at 1409 Forest Avenue in Des Moines, Iowa. In 1971, grandson Dave Brown and his mother, Lois Critchett Brown, bought the company. Dave, Bert’s grandson, became sole owner when his mother died 7 years later. Over the years since, Critchett’s has expanded with additional locations in Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska, Missouri and Idaho. In 2009, the company was renamed to Critchett Lowrey Organ Centers when the piano lines were sold to focus exclusively on Lowrey Organs. Today, Dave Brown has five Lowrey Organ Centers throughout Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri and Idaho
Over the years, the Critchett family has developed a reputation for providing quality, affordability and service to customers throughout the midwest. The Critchett mission is to become their customers’ preferred resource for everything related to learning how to have fun with music.
Music and music education has been at the center of the Critchett family since the beginning. In the early years Bert Critchett was a singing instructor in Centerville Iowa.His wife Mary was the church organist in Centerville and gave organ lessons privately. Lois studied voice and music education at Drake University and became a natural for the business and Dave Brown grew up with education as a center influence in his life and learned the business under the influence of Bert Critchett.
Today, Critchett’s conducts music learning classes in all of their 5 location and this has become the main stay of their business. Critchett’s specializes in Lowrey Organs and teaching adults how to have fun with music We give over many lessons each week in our stores at different times of the day, and help adults get envolved in music for the first time each year!
Recently Dave Brown has formed the new parent company, Lowrey Legacy Worldwide to manufacture and distribute Lowrey organs all over the United States and now worldwide. Keeping the fun of learning music alive is important to the Critchett family.
“The success and magic of the Lowrey Organ is the students. The Lowrey Magic Program is what inspired me many years ago to get involved with these organs and the lesson programs. It has been a success ever since. It’s fun, it’s easy, its family.”