RetroFret is an American vintage musical instrument

boutique A () is a retail shop that deals in high end fashionable clothing or accessories. The word is French for "shop", which derives ultimately from the Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in anc ...

and repair shop located in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. Founded in 1983 by

luthier A luthier ( ; ) is a craftsperson who builds or repairs string instruments. Etymology The word ' is originally French and comes from ''luth'', the French word for "lute". The term was originally used for makers of lutes, but it came to be ...

Steven Uhrik Steven Uhrik is an American businessman, luthier and musician. He is the owner & chief luthier of RetroFret Rare & Vintage Musical Instruments located in Brooklyn, New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most popu ...

, RetroFret's early business was primarily musical instrument repair services. In the mid-1990s, the business grew into a moderately stocked showroom that served local, international & professional musicians. By the mid-2000s, the showroom had grown vastly, displaying over 200 instruments & musical artifacts from around the world.

History

RetroFret opened its doors in 1983 in

Gowanus, Brooklyn Gowanus ( ) is a neighborhood in the northwestern portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, within the area once known as South Brooklyn. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 6, Brooklyn Community District 6. Gowanus is ...

in the defunct headquarters of the

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing animal cruelty. Based in New York City since its inception in 1866, the organization's mission is "to provide effective mea ...

building, which the ASPCA had occupied from 1913 to 1979. RetroFret maintained its home in the historic building until late 2018, when the business moved to

Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn Carroll Gardens is a neighborhood in the northwestern portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Encompassing approximately 40 city blocks, it is bounded by Degraw and Warren Streets (north), Hoyt and Smith Streets (east), Ninth Street ...

Inventory

RetroFret's showroom is considered by many industry professionals to be one of the highest quality, museum-grade inventory displays in the United States. At one point the store had for sale country and honky-tonk musician

Lefty Frizzell William Orville "Lefty" Frizzell (March 31, 1928 – July 19, 1975) was an American country and honky-tonk singer-songwriter. Frizell is known as one of the most influential country music vocal stylists of all time. He has been cited as in ...

's 1949 Gibson Bigsby J-200, personalized with "Lefty Frizzell" on the pickguard. The guitar sold for $350,000 to country musician

Merle Haggard Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential figures in country music, he was a central pioneer of the Bakersfield ...

References

{{coord, 40.678204, -74.001724, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-NY, display=title Shops in New York City Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn