Mehlville's Very Own Music Man

Mehlville is an area rich in community support and spirit. When it comes to our schools, we have all been touched in some way by one very integral part of such spirit—our school bands.

We either have children who have participated in band or know someone who does. We cheer on our school bands under the Friday night lights at high school football games. We rent the tuba or the trombone and endure the practice sessions that will help to round out our children’s talent. Over the years, we respect our schools’ band directors for their encouragement.

But in the mix of all the learning and growing, there is one person who can easily be overlooked—the man behind the music. His name is Dennis Gerfen, but anyone involved in Mehlville's school band or orchestra may better know him as Mr. Nottelmann.

“People call me Mr. Nottelmann all the time. It doesn’t bother me. I answer to that,” he said.

Dennis and his wife Jan began Nottelmann Music, now located at 1590 Lemay Ferry Road, in 1971, but the roots of the store run even deeper.

Jan’s father, William Nottelmann, founded the business in 1953. Originally located just down the road at 942 Lemay Ferry Road, Jan grew up in the store.

“I worked on the weekends as a kid,” Jan said. “I did whatever had to be done. I even cleaned toilets. That was just part of it.”

Then in 1971, an offer came that would change the course of their lives. Jan and Dennis were both in college and planning to marry. Dennis was studying to be a draftsman.

“Her dad asked me if I’d be interested in learning to repair (instruments). I said, ‘Sure, I’d like to do that,’” he said.

The rest, as they say, is history.

“I would have never thought growing up that it was going to be like this,” Jan said. “Now, (the business) is so large. You have to keep your finger on the pulse of it.”

Some 40 years later, they both admit that they have no idea what they would have done if they didn’t end up running this business. The couple is proud of what they have accomplished.

In the early 1980s, they bought Nottelmann Music from Jan’s father and made a seamless transition to ownership.

“I like to think that we have set the tone in St. Louis for how (this business) is done and others sort of follow suit,” Dennis said.

Over the years, the Gerfen’s have built a business whose primary function is to service, provide and repair musical instruments in the schools of St. Louis.

“As we started working with the schools, we just found that band directors have a lot of necessity for us to be there so they can keep the program running,” Dennis said. “It just came to evolve that way.”

The business has a sprawl nearly as large as the city itself. From Festus to Waterloo to St. Charles to St. Mary’s, Gerfen will have as many as five cars on the road visiting different schools.  Band directors and parents everywhere have come to depend on the kind of work ethic that Gerfen has instilled at Nottelmann Music.

“I’ll have a mom call the store at seven in the morning asking, if I can bring this or that for their child’s instrument. I’ll just pack it in the car and deliver it that day,” Dennis said. “This is just such a service-oriented business.”

Often times, simple repairs are made on the spot.

Their longevity in the industry brings its own rewards. The Gerfens have two grown children, Michael and Jennifer, who have also chosen to enter into the family business. Even though they both have degrees in other professions, Jan said the kids love it in the store. 

Since purchasing the business, they have also opened a second store located at 714 Jeffco Boulevard in Arnold.

“We’re seeing kids who started taking lessons with us now coming in with their kids,” Dennis said. “I say ‘I remember you when you were just...’ and I remember people saying that to her dad. Now they’re saying that to me.”

Of course, 40 years in business does not come without challenges.

“The hardest thing has been trying to keep up with the changing times and the internet,” Dennis said. He has elected not to step into the world of e-commerce yet, although he admits that the internet is their biggest competitor, especially in terms of pricing.

“I look at the internet as an electronic pawn shop. You can get a good deal, but you better know a lot about what it is you’re buying,” Dennis said.

He prefers doing business face-to-face and not losing the nuances that can be lost in electronic translation.

“That’s just how I do it. I do it the way I think is right,” he said.

And someday, the Gerfens hope to do the same thing for their kids.

For now, they say they "are very proud to be a part of the music education process.”