#Repost @chasingthedream_wnet ・・・ #MyEverydayHustle – Meet Steve Uhrik, the owner of Retrofret Guitars and a Luthier - a guitar repairman. "I opted not to go to college. I begged my way into an apprenticeship. I was 17.” Afterwards, Steve went solo, finding old, worn-out guitars, whipping them back into shape and selling them back as best he could. “I wasn’t that savvy of a business man. I would sell a guitar I repaired for $200 and then see it on sale for $800. I learned by making more mistakes.” In 1973, Steve teamed up with two friends and fellow Luthiers to start their own formal business. To start, Steve had to come up with some cash, “We all had to contribute a piece of equipment. I found a belt sander for $300. I only had $100. So my mom pawned her engagement ring so I could get it. My family didn’t have much money but they made a lot of sacrifices to help me.” Their business grew, and soon enough they had a loft in Soho. It was 8,000 square feet and $400 a month rent – an unimaginable offer to exist in the current market. In 1982 Steve got a great deal for a warehouse and moved his shop to Gowanus – in what was previously an ASPCA animal shelter – to expand. It was 10 years later that Steve finally felt he had made his break. “By the late 90’s I had become my own boss. I was posting instruments for sale online when the internet came about. That’s what really jumpstarted the business.” Today, Retrofret Guitars is booming, with over 500 instruments listed on their site alone. But he does some extra side work still, hosting apprenticeships, “I’m paying it forward. People made sacrifices for me, so I like being of service. #Funfact: Steve only personally owns one guitar. Photo credit: @Patrickkolts . . . #rockstar #musician #guitar #throwbackthursday #tbt #music #love #startedfromthebottom #vintage #MyEverydayHustle #MyDailyGrind #nyc_ig #instagood #legend #newyorker #fame #entrepreneur #handcrafted #restoration #repair #diy #doityourself (at Retrofret Vintage Guitars)