Mandolin Brothers, a long revered guitar and instrument shop on Staten Island, New York, was opened in 1971 by Stan Jay. “One of the foremost dealers in new and vintage fretted instruments” is how the New York Times newspaper described the shop.
Famous musicians such as George Harrison, Bob Dylan and Joan Biaz all passed through the front doors of Mandolin Brothers, either on a shopping trip, a hunt for something rare, or simply to pay homage and be around these majestical string based instruments. Mandolin Brothers was that shop whom those in the know spoke of and traveled to.
Owner Stan Jay bounced between educations and careers before opening the shop. A guitarist himself, the shop provided an anchor point for his lessons and necessary instruments. Located close to where he lived and taught, the location was familiar and accessible and provincial. His personal love for guitars and music fueled his passion. Over the following decades Stan sold rare and vintage instruments alongside new five star guitars. His shop provided a finely curated haven for musicians and craftsman to explore.
Similar to how a regaled music studio named Muscle Shoals, housed in the obscure town of Sheffield, Alabama, away from the glamor of New York and Los Angeles, suddenly popped onto the recording scene in 1969 and recorded the great rock and soul bands of the 1970’s, Mandolin Brothers simply came to be in an unheralded neighborhood of Staten Island, and the rest is music history.
While across the Hudson River in Manhattan shops like Sam Ash and Manny’s Guitars (located on the same hollowed block of 48th Street) attracted all the new school acolytes and hair band rockers, Mandolin Brothers employed a slower and more intimate approach. A true specialty shop whose items were thoughtfully curated: a rare 12 string mandolin, a five star Gibson guitar, or a pre war Martin acoustic could all be found amongst a highly welcoming atmosphere.
Mandolin Brothers prided themselves on their unique vintage guitars. An instrument made with “materials and process that are no longer in use” is how Stan Jay defined his beloved vintage collection.
The delicate art of craftsmanship was revered at this shrine to the fretted instrument. Respect for the toil and work that goes into such rarified construction was encouraged. Thousands of hours dedicated to patiently craft an instrument for an unpredictable market and attract the complicated preferences of customers is brave.
While the art of crafting a surfboard here in Marbella, Costa Rica may not demand the respect or celebrity of guitars and rock stars, and while the pursuit of surfing waves is certainly less esteemed than the global awe of music and musician, a similar care and tradition can be squeezed from the curious fruits of both.
The spirit of the craftsman is passed to both items – the vision and hopes and dreams and appreciation, whether it be for the ageless drive to produce music and entertain, or the timeless urge to experience joy while reveling in the wonders of nature, are both practices employed to offer insight and liberation into the weird and taxing experience of living. Perhaps we can all be better people when engaged in either. A bit kinder, more honest, humane, connected to others, and of service to all.
The history of Mandolin Brothers is an inspiring tale. Making things is hard. Selling things is hard. Curating a shop identity and atmosphere that exudes authenticity and invites sustainability is a daily challenge.
Perhaps inspiration arrives from the clients as well as the item. The artists and athletes and rogues and misfits and claimers and searchers and hustlers and tyrants and dreamers, whom walk through the front door searching for something better within themselves, yet to be revealed. The guitar or the surfboard are simply tools of expression and hope. You are one place looking to arrive at another. These crafted vehicles might help you get there.
