FEW of us get to make a living from our passion in life, but guitar obsessives Paula Russell and Louise Carruthers are lucky enough to be two them.
The friends and business partners met on the highly regarded stringed musical instrument making course at Glasgow Clyde College back in the late 1990s, and after a spell honing their craft in London they returned to Glasgow in 2003 and set up Strung Out Guitars in King’s Court, just a couple of doors along from trendy bar and music venue Mono, with the help of loans from the Prince’s Trust and Scottish Youth Business Trust.
Russell says two young women opening a guitar shop raised eyebrows at the time and admits at first older male customers would often ask for "the boss, the man”.
But the business, which supplies and fixes mostly vintage guitars, has gone from strength to strength, building a loyal customer base that includes the likes of Franz Ferdinand, Biffy Clyro, the Proclaimers and J Mascis of cult US indie band Dinosaur Jr.
“It was terrifying and exciting when we started out 14 years ago,” smiles Russell, 37.
“I was only 24 and Louise was the driving force, the one who really thought we could make it work. We were much more successful than we thought in the first year and soon realised we’d have to employ someone.”
They have employ employees, and always return to their old college when they are looking to recruit, knowing that they’ll find the right sort of person.
“Bill Kelday and Paul Hyland, our old lecturers, are always our first port of call,” explains Russell. “Louise and I will forever be in their debt – they are just so passionate about what they do and pass that enthusiasm on to their students.
“It’s a wonderful course and it’s great that we can give something back by offering an opportunity to others. Businesswise it’s worked out brilliantly for us, too. We have a fantastic team.”
Although they still spend the majority of their time in a hands-on capacity making and repairing guitars, Russell says the pair have become gradually more experienced at the business side of things, hence their 14 years of success.
“We built up slowly,” says the technician, who recently worked on 20 guitars for internationally successful Scottish trio Biffy Clyro. “Sometimes we pinch ourselves not only that we’re still here, but we’re thriving. There’s a real sense of pride in that. And the admin is actually easier than we thought it would be.
“We’ve received lots of good advice over the years but I think the best came from my old boss, Steve, who runs a guitar shop in London. He told us to stay small, at a level where you can control things; if you’re dependent on others you risk losing that. That has served us well over the years.
“About 10 years ago we considered opening another shop, maybe in Edinburgh. But instead we decided to expand our current workshop and bring in another member of staff.
“And now we’re about to refurbish the shop and expand our range of guitars and amps - it’s really exciting.”
According to Russell uncertainty around Brexit has caused many of their European suppliers to increase prices, which has been a concern, but they are weathering the storm and looking to the future.
“For me, the best thing about having been an independent retailer for 14 years is building a relationship with people and their guitars,” she adds. “The same people who came to us as teenagers still come to us and you get see them grow as people as well as musicians - that’s an amazing feeling.”
And she has some sage advice for others looking for ways to monetise their passion.
“If there’s something you love doing and you think people might pay you to do it, then just go for it,” smiles Russell. “Start with your friends and go from there. You’ll never regret trying.”
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