Brashs, formerly Braschs, was an Australian music and electronics retailer. It was founded in 1862 by German Australian Marcus Brasch. The C in the name was dropped during World War I due to anti-Germanic feeling. In addition, the pronunciation of the 'a' was anglicised. The first store in Elizabeth Street, Melbourne specialised in pianos and reed organs and remained the company's flag-ship store until the group's demise. For the latter half of the 19th century and all through the 20th, Brashs remained a leading music house although Victorian-wide expansion did not begin until the mid-1950s and interstate 30 years later, through a combination of acquisitions and new store openings. This resulted in over 100 stores in all states and territories.
History
Brashs first opened in 1862 at 108 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne by Marcus Brasch. Originally it retailed pianos and other musical instruments, with the slogan, "a home is not a home without a piano".[1] Later it would expand its product line to include sheet music.
The business was later taken over by Marcus's son, Alfred Brash. Alfred traded the business through the Great Depression, with an astute idea allowing his customers to repay the debts owed on the pianos over a longer period (20 years rather than five), as it realised that the pianos would be kept in a better condition in the customers' homes than repossessed in his warehouse. Post-World War II, Brash boomed, as it sold refrigerators and took trade-ins on old ice chests