Fiddle and Bow is now open on East State Street near Uptown.
In the hollow back room of an old accounting office, Joel Lensch lifts the shell of an unfinished scroll from the scattered dust of wood shavings and cloth scraps.
The scroll will be part of a two-point violin he has painstakingly carved for two years, readying it for eventual sale in his new violin shop and haberdashery in Athens — The Fiddle and Bow, at 77 ½ E. State St.
“This kind of craftsmanship takes a lot of time unless you’re doing it every single day for hours and hours,” Lensch said. “But it’s really worth it.”
Lensch will launch the grand opening of his store on Dec. 5, marking the official establishment of Athens’ only necktie, bowtie, designer hat and violin shop.
Lensch, who also bakes and baristas for the Catalyst Café and Village Bakery early in the morning, hosts a storefront on the corner of State and Carpenter streets boasting Downton Abbey-style cabbie hats and fedoras alongside brilliantly-colored handmade ties.
And what Lensch doesn’t sew himself, he orders from small businesses based solely in the United States.
Lensch opened Fiddle and Bow in the middle of the summer.
Since then, he has been visited mostly by gift shoppers and passersby during his flexible afternoon and weekend hours. And as the sole owner and employee of the shop, Lensch has time to experiment with cloth purchased from Athens’ Wooden Spool when not serving customers.
“Athens is so small that I didn’t think I could really have a violin shop for a living,” Lensch said. “So I decided to make other stuff that I like, too.”
Though only one violin for sale is crafted by Lensch, he refurbished and restored the other 11 violins he offers and is equipped to do light repair work on violins that customers already own.
“They’re funny instruments — It’s hard to just buy one, you always want to buy more,” Lensch said. “People buy a different violin for each season sometimes because they change so much with the temperature. They’re kind of finicky.”
Lensch moved to Athens when his wife took a position with Ohio University a few years ago. He has a degree in violin making from Indiana University on his resume, so he decided to open his own violin shop.
He is considering adding music and local artistry to his collection for more variety, and hopes to set himself apart by the exquisite quality of his everyday pieces. Lensch’s hats run between $20 and $90, and neck and bowties are between $20 and $70. Lensch’s beginner violins start at $200, and his most expensive is $700.
“There are good weeks and bad weeks,” Lensch said. “I kind of figured that would be the way it would go. In my experience, people just generally don’t go buy violins very often.”
Steven Huang, associate professor of orchestral instrumental conducting at OU, said most violin students come to campus with an instrument already in their possession, and get most of their repairs done in Columbus.
“I am sure I speak for the string area that we believe that a store focusing on string instruments is a welcome addition to the community,” Huang said. “But we are also very happy that a fine string service shop, with a strong background in servicing high-quality instruments, is located as close as Columbus.”
Still, Lensch is hoping to find success among Athens residents with a passion for designer pieces.
“I just decided to take a chance and see if it would work out,” Lensch said. “If worst comes to worst, I’ll just be stuck with a lot of cool hats and instruments.”
Fiddle and Bow is typically open 1 to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 11 to 5 p.m. on weekends. For more information, email fidandbow@gmail.com or call 740-707-4211.
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