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Now in: About Us

Dunkley Music was founded by William K Dunkley and his wife Dorothy in 1950 in Boise, Idaho. Sixty years have passed since that time, and the musical torch has been handed off to their son Mark Dunkley and his wife Karen. Our business has grown tremendously since those early years, but our love of music, appreciation of fine instruments, and dedication to community and customers remains the same.

The Early Years

William K Dunkley was studying to be a dentist when his brother talked him into starting a piano store in Ogden, Utah, in 1946. New pianos weren’t available so soon after World War II, so they drove to Chicago, purchased a railcar full of used pianos, and shipped them back to Ogden. William K married Dorothy in 1948, and the two of them built up their business.
 


William K wanted to represent the very best brands, especially Steinway & Sons, so they moved to Boise, Idaho, to work on obtaining that franchise. On March 10th, 1950, Dunkley Music of Boise opened its doors. William K was always an energetic, enthusiastic man, and he took truckloads of his instruments to the surrounding areas and into eastern Idaho. He often flew his beloved Cessna airplane with a load of Magnavox stereos and televisions to sell, loving every minute of it. He vowed never to go home until all of his cargo had been sold, and always kept that promise. In the meantime, Dorothy Dunkley watched the store and taught music lessons while raising their five children.

Middle Years

Over the years the business has grown tremendously, always with the Steinway instruments at its heart. William K’s son Mark Dunkley came to work at the store as a teenage piano mover, and worked up through the ranks. After Mark received his CPA degree from BYU, he moved back to work at the store full-time in 1982, and married his wife Karen a year later. After William K and Dorothy retired, Mark and Karen took over the store and have expanded the reach and size of the business many times over. A second location was opened in Twin Falls, Idaho in 2003.

Current News

Dunkley Music has dedicated itself to making the best possible instruments available to the public at a fair price, and to providing excellent service to our customers. Music education is our passion, for all ages, but especially for children. Our store motto has always been “the richest child is poor without music,” and we proudly have supported music in schools and universities.

Our Recital Hall has a Steinway Concert Grand available for teacher and student recitals, and our two highly trained piano technicians take care of numerous private and institutional customers throughout the valley and the state. Our instrument repair and piano moving departments are always humming with activity, as are our guitar, print music, drum, and electronics departments.

We are a full-line music store, carrying Steinway & Sons, Boston, Essex, Kawai, and Roland pianos and digital pianos. We also carry the Selmer, Bach, and Yamaha band and orchestra instruments, and pretty much everything else needed for music making.

We sponsor Teacher Workshops, and support numerous Arts Organizations. We invite you to drop in and browse, and let our professional musicians on staff guide you in your purchases. We are celebrating the past sixty years, and looking forward to the next sixty.