Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeff Rice.
Jeff, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was a late bloomer. At 32 years old, I was not happy with what I was doing and was trying to figure out what I would like to do. I took my guitar to a shop to get some work done to it, and as I stood in the guy’s shop, I thought, “This looks like something I would enjoy.” I found a guy who took on apprentices, Mike Marshall of Southeast Guitar repair up in Lawrenceville. I went through his program and then ended up working in his shop for a while before I went out on my own. I was living in Virginia-Highland at the time and opened a shop there.
I wasn’t there long before my wife got a job in Austin, Texas. We moved there and I opened a shop. I kept the name, Intown Guitar Repair because we were again living in town. We are not suburban folk. Austin is a great music town and I had plenty of customers pretty quickly. I loved our time there. I got to meet many great musicians and built a good reputation. And the food in Austin is outstanding. Our twin girls were born in Austin during this time.
After four years, we had another move, this time to Greenville, SC. I opened a shop within walking distance to downtown Greenville. We stayed there for five years and then moved back to Atlanta at the end of 2010. Our kids were in 1st grade and we swore we would not move again. The girls are now at Grady High School. I opened my shop behind our house at the beginning of 2011. Atlanta has been very good to us. It feels like home. I’ve lived here twice and I’ve lived here longer than anywhere else. I built up a strong client base over the years and have customers who have been coming to me for ten years. I love that. One of my favorite things about my job is that I get to meet people and build relationships with them. I’ve had several friendships grow through my work. I’m very grateful to live and work in Morningside. I also love bumping into clients while I’m out walking my dog or at a store. I feel like I am a part of the community.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
No. I have had to start my business from scratch four times. It takes a while to build up a customer base. This is a reputation driven business. News travels when you do a good job but it travels even quicker if you don’t.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Intown Guitar Repair – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
At Intown Guitar Repair, we offer repair, maintenance, customization, and restoration of fretted string instruments. We do just about everything except re-finishing. We work on acoustic and electric instruments. Guitars and basses are the most common instruments we see, but we also work on banjos, mandolins, ukuleles, lutes, ouds, etc. We do not work on the violin family. The most common job we do is a set up which is basically a tune-up for your guitar to get it to play as well as it can. We also make bone nuts and saddles by hand, do fretwork (re-frets or fret leveling), electronics work, fix broken necks, neck re-sets, etc. I’m very proud of my fretwork.
At Intown Guitar Repair, we are not snobby or pretentious. I love to work on cool, vintage high-end instruments but I treat all the instruments with the same care and respect. I get great satisfaction from repairing a touring musician’s guitar, but I also like helping a mom whose kid broke a string and they don’t know what to do. I love setting up a guitar for a kid who is taking lessons, so it is easier to play. Learning how to play is hard enough. If the instrument is difficult to play they are less likely to persevere.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We have no specific plans at the moment. We may have to move location in a few years after my kids graduate from high school. We will play it by ear.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.intownguitarrepair.com
- Phone: 404-324-6602
- Email: fretwork@comcast.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/intownguitarrepair/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Intown-Guitar-Repair-599645540064583/
Image Credit:
Jeff Rice
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