Located on Madison Ave. in Lakewood, his new Bowed String Shop, a community-based place that specializes in violin repair and rentals, celebrates its opening with a reception that takes place tonight from 7 to 9. City Six Strings will perform, and there will be giveaways and light refreshments.
DeMarco moved into the shop at the beginning of August and has quickly decorated by hanging instruments on the walls.
“It’s been a very rapid process,” he says one afternoon from the shop, a small space that includes both a workshop and display area for various violins, basses and cellos. “The plan was to slowly build up my workshop, but I’ve gotten a lot of interest from people who want to do rentals. I wanted the store to be an open space, so people can see the workshop and know what we’re doing there.”
DeMarco also thinks Bowed String Shop will provide a much-needed service on Cleveland’s westside for people who play classical, jazz, folk and even indie music.
“I realized there are four violin shops on Mayfield Rd., and as soon as you get west of University Circle, there’s nothing over here,” he says. “I thought this would be a good chance to have a shop that really fulfills the needs of the people learning to play these instruments over here. We will have a full accessories lineup. There are great lesson providers nearby, and we’re working with the Lakewood Music Academy and Beck Center and the Lakewood Music Collective, so I made the decision that I wouldn’t offer lessons, but I would provide the resources they might need.”
Admission to tonight’s event is free.
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This article appears in Aug 11-24, 2021.
