Business of the Month: Matt Umanov Guitars
Today we feature our latest Business of the Month — and we need your help selecting the next. Tell us which independent store you love in Greenwich Village, the East Village or NoHo: just click here to vote for your favorite. Want to help support small businesses? Share this post with friends.
 Greenwich Village and music are a pairing that seems to have existed for as long as the neighborhood has been around, yet where does one here go about finding an instrument? If you’re looking to follow in the footsteps of Bob Dylan or Lou Reed, then look no further than Matt Umanov Guitars.
Matt Umanov has been in the guitar business since 1965, starting out performing independent repairs and restorations before opening his repair and sale shop on Bleecker Street in 1969. Matt’s shop has since remained a defining presence of the village, and his reputation and the reputation of the shop has only grown. Matt is considered one of the best if not the best guitar repairer and restorer in the city, and he is known to carry only the finest guitars, banjos, and other quality American bred instruments.
Other than the occasional famous musician who will walk into his store, Matt really strives to have a very straightforward business with no big surprises for his clients and customers:
 “What we’re known for is having high quality stuff, only really nice instruments, not necessarily only expensive ones, everything here regardless of price range has to meet my criteria for how well it’s made. No junk, only good stuff. We have a wonderful staff, they’re all knowledgeable, polite, and helpful, it’s what we’re known for. That and we still do the repairs and restorations, we have been known for doing the very best guitar repairs and stuff in New York since the 1960’s, but it’s not exactly a surprise.”
GVSHP was able to talk with Matt and learn more about his business and how it established such a strong foundation within the neighborhood. Matt has also participated in our new oral history project, offering his own insight and anecdotes when discussing the South Village.
Read more here.
With GVSHP's "Business of the Month" program, each month a local, independent business is featured on GVSHP's website, blog and social media, to showcase one of our neighborhoods' great and unique commercial treasures. We hope it will increase support and patronage, aiding our local small businesses' health and viability. We're asking you, the public, to nominate your favorite businesses for consideration for our "Business of the Month." To nominate a business just fill in this brief form. See our past Businesses of the Month here.
Next: 02/04/16
Previous: 12/17/2015
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