Goldstein’s String Workshop gets instruments fit as a fiddle
Jonathan Goldstein has been repairing stringed instru- ments for 36 years. (photo:Ben Pounds )
The shop sits at 225 Broadway Ave. in Oak Ridge’s Historic Jackson Square. It functions as a full-service luthier, which Goldstein defines as “anything to do with repairing wooden string instruments,” including violins and their bows, along with guitars. He is authorized to do warranty repairs on Martin, Gibson, Fender and other brands.
He said he works out of Oak Ridge due to the strength of the Oak Ridge School system’s string orchestra program, which he said provides “a good 50 percent” of his business. He said the school system’s string program is “one of the best, if not the best, in the state.”
Goldstein said business had changed over those 36 years due to the “flood in of cheap instruments into the market.” Previously, he focused more on selling new instruments, but due to competition, he’s now mainly servicing instruments instead.
“I like the people and the variety of tasks and things to do,” he said regarding his work. “That’s kind of fun. It’s not the same thing every day.
“Jackson Square is kind of a neat place. Where else can you find a place that incubates small businesses?” he said of his The String Workshop’s home, a shopping center dating to Oak Ridge’s World War II days.
He said the rents are cheap and there are nearby eateries like Dean’s Bakery. The square is also near Blankenship Field where the Oak Ridge High School Wildcats play home games.
“In Knoxville, for instance there’s no place like this,” he said of Jackson Square.