AUSTIN, Texas — Jim Watson owns Watson Piano Works, a piano restoration business in San Marcos. Although he started out playing pianos, Watson was more interested in the mechanics and how the piano worked. 

“I used to take things apart as a kid. At that age, I didn’t put them back together. I’ve since learned how to put stuff back together,” said Watson.

A mentor helped him fine-tune his skills. Now, Watson has been restoring pianos for the last 20 years.  

“There’s a lot of history tied up in these old instruments. I just romanticize the idea of bringing them back to life,” he said.

No two pianos are alike. Each one requires different care. When the pianos arrive at Watson’s warehouse, you never know what you’ll find inside.

“I found a live rat in one of them. This huge rat jumped out of one of the holes in the bottom of the key bed, and it ran down the street. That was probably the most unique thing I’ve found,” said Watson.

He says he loves making old pianos functional and beautiful again. Some of them date back to the 1800s. 

“It’s a long process to restore a piano. It can take six, nine, or even 12 months depending on how much we’re doing to it,“ said Watson.

A restored piano can cost tens of thousands of dollars. For Watson, however, it’s a labor of love. He treats each piano like family, getting them ready for another 100 years.

“They’re all my kids. It’s like bringing life into them and preparing them for the world, then they fly the coop like real kids do,” he said.