Violin shop with rentals and repair

Parents of school students, adult hobbyists, school orchestra programs, private teachers and community players.

Instrument sales, monthly rental fees (often with rent-to-own), repair and setup charges, and accessories like strings, rosin, cases and shoulder rests.

• Playing or good knowledge of string instruments
• Basic repair or a trained repairer on your team
• Customer service with parents and teachers
• Inventory and bookkeeping

• Check your state and city for a sales tax permit and any local business license
• General liability and property insurance, plus cover for customers' instruments left with you for repair
• Rental inventory is a big upfront cost and instruments can be damaged or not returned, so use clear rental agreements and deposits
• Repair skill takes years to build, so check whether you can hire an experienced luthier or repairer
• Bows made with some protected woods can have rules for crossing borders, so check the rules before importing or exporting

Startup costs are typically around $40,000 to $150,000, depending on your premises and stock. Rental inventory is a big upfront cost, and instruments can be damaged or not returned, so clear rental agreements and deposits matter.

Check your state and city for a sales tax permit and any local business license. Repair skill takes years to build, so check whether you can hire an experienced luthier or repairer. Also arrange liability and property insurance, including cover for customers' instruments.

Monthly revenue is typically around $8,000 to $35,000, depending on sales, rentals and repairs. These are revenue estimates, not profit, and rent and stock costs come out of that. A storefront usually means working at least about 35 hours a week.