OCT. 23 I MENCHEY MUSIC I STORE DESIGN
String Boutique
on a Budget

Menchey Music opened the Bowed String Gallery this past summer at its Hanover, Pa., store. The roughly 2,000-square-foot room boasts an array of stringed orchestral instruments in a classy environment.

Inspired by fellow retailer Paige’s Music of Indianapolis, which has a similar boutique, Menchey hired string specialist Sandy Neill earlier this year to help launch and run the Bowed String Gallery. The room, which previously housed the company’s choral music selection, now boasts laminate cherry flooring, leather chairs and antique furniture. According to Neill, all of these pieces were purchased on a budget.

The coffee table, originally $4,000, went for $500 when a local furniture dealer held a going-out-of-business sale. The bow case was purchased for $300 from an antique dealer, and the leather chairs, originally $464 each, went for $180 each at a furniture store’s one-day-only sale. “It was like every piece of furniture was meant to be here,” Neill said.

She dressed up the tables with fabric from Pier 1 Imports. She had the slatwall cut and painted it the same mellow green as the walls. A violin-shaped mirror, also purchased at a furniture store, pulled the room together.

Menchey Music held a reception for teachers and professionals to celebrate the Bowed String Gallery in August. The public grand-opening was held on Sept. 27.

“Strings are profitable, and they support our rentals,” Neill said. “There’s a good profit margin to them. I think [the boutique] will increase our business.” MI