Chicago shops

[Stephen Perry]

Wife thinking of taking job in Chicago, getting us a home in south side Chicago, where all the cops live (Beverly). Any mandolin specialty shops up there? Thinking either:

1. Retire and write.

2. Fiddle / mandolin / guitar shop

3. Fiddle making only in garage

4. Small law practice

5. Look into getting on at her work

What's the competition on the fiddle / mandolin / guitar front?

[renoyd]

Hope you will seriously consider option 2 Stephen. Chicago and the whole region must have the lowest mandolin resources per capita ratio in the nation. Yes, there are some places here and there in Chicago and Madison with a small selection of interesting new and used mandolins. But there is nothing at all like the places often mentioned in the Cafe where you can actually go and try out and compare several serious instruments (i.e., beyond Kentucky brand, etc.), in an afternoon, a little frustrating actually. Elderly in MI is really more than a daytrip, especially if starting from north or west of Chicago.

IMHO, opening a shop with good strength in mando family instruments and service could very well become more interesting and rewarding than you would have anticipated. Best wishes on your next life chapters!

Dean

[Mark Miller]

I strongly second Dean's comment. You can get a nice new entry-level Kentucky or Eastman in Chicago at the Old Town School of Folk Music. There are a couple of shops in the Chicago 'burbs where you can find one or two Webers or the like. That's it. The closest thing in the area is Down Home Guitars in Frankfurt, IL, which is a little over 30 miles south and west of Beverly. They currently have around 10 mandos in stock, a mix of Collings and Webers, ranging over F-style, oval hole, 2-point....in other words, a very nice assortment given the number of offerings, but as a result only one or two of each type, and limited to those two brands. As far as I know there is nowhere around where you can find nice used mandolins. As a result, every time I am out of town I look for places where I can try out mandolins, and have found much better offerings in much smaller cities like Philadelphia.

Plus, with the Old Town School offering classes in mandolin, bluegrass, as well as lots of guitar, banjo, etc., there is a built-in supply of people developing an interest in traditional music. And there's a pretty decent bluegrass-folk music jam scene with regular jams at the Old Town School, in three or four other places in the city, and in near suburbs like Oak Park and Downer's Grove, so there is a decent number of people around who are pretty good players. Finally, I have had trouble finding a place to work on my mandolin around here that isn't really a guitar shop, and it makes me nervous to give up my baby to someone who works on guitars all the time and maybe sees one or two mandolins a year. All of which speaks to pent-up demand in the area.

[Rodney Riley]

Not too far from Dale Ludewig in Dekalb.

Not sure if mentioning Illinois gun laws violates forum guidelines. Sending you a pm in case you are a gun owner.

[Steve Baker]

I'll second the nod to Down Home Guitars in Frankfort. The owner is a kick-ass mando player with Leadfoot and organizes an annual free bluegrass festival. Lots of instrument porn hanging in the shop and the people there are very nice.
FWIW
Steve
A 'zouk player from fight down the road

[Perilous Deep]

I'll echo what others have said about the lack of a mandolin specialty shop in Chicago, though one other spot to take note of is Hogeye Music in Evanston, which tends to carry a higher end selection of folk instruments than the Old Town School's shop. They likely have some mandolins of interest an any given time.

In Chicago proper, there's also Chicago Music Exchange, a great shop for guitars--anyone would have trouble competing with. I'm not a fiddle player (yet), but my sense is that A440 is the go-to spot for violin family instruments, both purchase and repair. Between the symphony, opera, and music programs at area universities, there's probably more violin demand than mandolin demand. But A440 sure isn't a fiddle shop, if you know what I mean.

Third Coast Guitar is the repair shop of choice for mandolins, where a cafe member does good repair and setup work.

How a mandolin specialty shop, or even an instrument shop with a high(er) end mandolin selection would fare in Chicago, I couldn't say. But the spots above should give a sense of the lay of the land.

[palosfv3]

I will echo most of the previous posts. Down Home Guitars , Steve ,Molly and the rest of the staff are some of the best in the Chicago area. I would suggest looking into the fees and business regulations Chicago imposes on local vendors. They can be burdensome. If memory serves me correctly. There was a music store that was doing something like your proposing on 103rd & Prospect near the train station. I believe they closed up shop 5/10 years ago. Don't know their story, just what I viewed from a distance. Good Italian restaurant Fracenellos at 102.& Western. Wishing you the best in your plans. J

[Mark Miller]

Not too far from Dale Ludewig in Dekalb.

I had no idea about that. Checked out his website. That guy makes some seriously beautiful instruments.

[Mark Miller]

Going back to OP's question, though, DeKalb is about an hour away from Chicago. And from the website his place is not really a mando shop. He's a luthier. Doesn't seem like he sells instruments other than his own. Nor does he need to, from the looks of things!

[Rodney Riley]

But if you live in Central Illinois like I do, everything is an hour away

[Stephen Perry]

"103rd & Prospect near the train station" we walked by a few weeks ago - looked like a nice area. More ritzy and overheadish than I had in mind. Perhaps a mixed fiddle/mando/law shop.

[palosfv3]

"103rd & Prospect near the train station" we walked by a few weeks ago - looked like a nice area. More ritzy and overheadish than I had in mind. Perhaps a mixed fiddle/mando/law shop.

.
Pricy rental because of train station traffic. Only high traffic week days 5am/7pm.

[Stephen Perry]

Might be a micro walk-up shop in the area. I'll stroll around next time I'm up, if she passes the first test.

[Ken]

Don't know if its an area you'd be interested in, but there are some pretty good classically oriented violin shops in downtown Chicago. Bein and Fushi, William Harris Lee, Darnton and Hersh to name few. Don't have recent knowledge but Bein and Fushi used to have openings now and then. In any event. if you do locate to the Chicago area it will be good to have you here.