When the landmark Podium guitar shop in Dinkytown — the store where Bob Dylan bought a Martin guitar in the 1970s that he played on his "Blood on the Tracks" album — closed for good in 2017 after a six-decade run, it planted a seed.
Chris Quinn, who launched the predecessor to his Quinn Violins from his high school bedroom 30 years ago, saw a rare expansion opportunity.
It wasn't without financial risk for Quinn, who had built a stable, four-person string instrument and accessories business.
The market for high-end violins for professional musicians and collectors, which ranges from tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars, is small and fraught with money-losing danger for those without very deep pockets and staying power.
Quinn, 48, had tasted a setback before, when a high-end violin store he operated with a musician partner on Nicollet Mall closed in 1998.
"I learned how to build a website," said Quinn, who moved the single-proprietor Quinn Violins in 1999 to a tiny space in southeast Minneapolis. "I felt I had failed. I worked hard to try and turn failure into success."
Since then, Quinn, has built online sales to two-thirds of his $1.5 million in annual revenue, selling violins, cellos, violas, cases and accessories — as well as repairs. He slowly expanded showroom space, including room for trial and performance.
"The customers range from kids buying their first instruments for $500 to $1,000 to instructors and even some professionals who will pay thousands," he said. "Some of these customers will try eight or 10 fiddles before they pick. We also do rentals. But no super-expensive rare or antique."
