Meet Dixie Huthmaker of Huthmaker Violins in Suwanee

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dixie Huthmaker.

Huthmaker Violins began at a workbench in our laundry room in 1989. Buddy Huthmaker was the owner-violinist- luthier. One afternoon, after finding every inch of our living- room filled with ‘celli and basses for repairs, Dixie insisted that a “real” shop be opened.

The two professional musicians/teachers now worked in a tiny 600-foot shop in Tampa, Florida as luthiers and entrepreneurs. Instruments, bows, rentals and repairs became our new passion.

In 1994, we dragged Anna into our second shop in Duluth, Georgia. Not sure she wanted to work with her parents, she said, “I’ll give you one year of my life.” That was twenty-plus years ago. As our “Bow Queen,” low strings expert and manager, she became the keystone in Huthmaker Violins.

For over twenty-five years, we’ve studied instrument and bow restoration, traveled all over Europe, met and worked with gifted makers, admired and purchased countless instruments and bows, held international exhibits and engaged with thousands of wonderful customers.

We’ve grown from the tiny 600 square feet shop to 2800 then 4800 square feet, and now our shop resides in the elegant 1880 Rhodes Hotel. No, we don’t live here. It’s filled with violins, violas, ‘celli, string basses, bows and four workshops. And our extraordinary customers.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
When three professional musicians become business owners, the journey is a learning process. Profit and Loss statements, taxes, quarterly reports and inventory management is an on-going education. Finding quality instruments is our biggest challenge as we never compromise. Selecting employees is another challenge because, again. we never compromise.

Please tell us about Huthmaker Violins.
Huthmaker Violins is a full-service violin shop which operates in a traditional, Old World manner. We are owned and run by three Huthmakers (father, mother, daughter). We sell violins, violas, ‘celli, string basses and their accessories. From a rare Sartory French violin bow to contemporary Italian violins to European student instruments, our focus is always quality. We want you to love your instrument.

We also do repairs and restoration of string instruments. Our staff of luthiers is the largest and finest in the southeastern United States. Our violin maker is a gold medal winner in several competitions.

Our rental program is outstanding. All the instruments are European and are set up by our exceptional luthiers. We know the challenges of learning to play and we make it easier for students.

We are known for our commitment to excellence, our knowledge of string instruments and our extensive inventory of fine instruments and bows.

We are different from other violin shops with our extensive inventory of vintage instruments and bows, our commitment to the highest quality of instruments and service, our dedication to “doing the right thing,” We are also nationally known for not selling any Chinese instruments or bows. We want you to love your instrument.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My personal favorite memory was the day that Colleen Moore walked into my fifth-grade classroom and said, “Who wants to play the violin?” That day changed my life, opened many doors for me and led me to marry the most wonderful man in the world–a violinist.

Contact Info:

• Address: 3949 Russell St., Suwanee, GA 30024
• Website: www.huthmakerviolins.com
• Phone: 7709451188
• Email: fiddlefolk@aol.com

Image Credit:
All pictures were taken by Dixie Huthmaker