LOGAN SQUARE — As the drummer of garage punk outfit Daily Void, Tom Cassling spent many nights on stage, drum sticks in hand.
But Cassling realized that he would rather be sitting behind a workbench, repairing instruments for musicians in need.
This discovery — which he said happened after a visit to the Museum of Musical Instruments in Paris — eventually led him to open a guitar repair shop called Shake Shop Repair in Logan Square in October 2010.
Four years later, Cassling still looks like he was plucked from a rock show stage wearing a white T-shirt with a geometrical tattoo peeking out from the sleeve.
But he stands behind the counter at Shake Shop, with a job list in hand, greeting customers with a warm, unpretentious smile.
“One thing that some customers appreciate is it’s just me here,” said Cassling, who grew up in north suburban Northbrook and has lived in Chicago since 1997. He currently resides in Logan Square, a few blocks away from the shop.
Mina Bloom says the shop is celebrating four years in Logan Square:
“If you’re a repeat customer, I definitely remember the instrument and what the issues are," Cassling added. "It saves some time, not having to double-back and re-explain things. Having those relationships and understanding what people need brings people back.”
Cassling is not only the owner and operator of The Shake Shop, he’s also the only employee.
The 36-year-old graduated from Columbia College Chicago in 2001, then went to trade school in Phoenix for building and repairing instruments and did an apprenticeship in Mexico before landing a job at bass manufacturing company Lakland Guitars.
He worked at Lakland for seven years before deciding to open Shake Shop Repair on a meager budget and a cautiously optimistic attitude.
“It was pretty nerve-wracking,” Cassling said. “Short-term money problems would’ve closed it early on, that was a really real possibility.”
The musical instrument repair business, he said, is a “dinosaur” of an industry, but not in the way you might expect.
“It’s not the kind of thing I see being disrupted by new technology,” Cassling said. “You can’t really outsource this kind of stuff."
At Shake Shop Repair, customers come in seeking repairs for their fretted instruments — some of whom give him only three hours to get a job done in time for a show that’s happening the same night.
But Cassling doesn’t mind. Rush jobs cost $25 extra, but he’s willing to accommodate customers with budget restrictions.
In fact, he is willing to accept books, records and musical gear as payment for his services.
“If you’ve been putting off getting some much-needed work done because you think it will break the bank, stop in and talk with us,” according to the shop's website. “We’re always willing to work with you to get you up and running within a reasonable budget.”
Logan Square resident Matthew Harris, 38, lives on Kedzie Avenue, a few blocks away from the shop.
Recently, Harris took a Fender bass that had been collecting dust in his closet to Cassling’s shop, and was impressed by the level of customer service, adding that Cassling is a “pro.”
Within an hour of dropping of the guitar, Harris said, Cassling called him to explain that his pick-ups needed work, which might cost extra, and that he could work on it that night if Harris needed it done quickly.
Harris appreciated the call, but opted to pick it up three days later.
“A one-day turnaround after getting the parts is pretty great service if you ask me,” said Harris, who works in the masonry industry. “I picked it up and he showed me everything he did and plugged her in. It sounded outstanding with the new flat wound strings and the freshly straightened neck.”
Though close proximity to his house brought him to the shop, “customer service will make him return,” he said.
Despite Harris and other loyal customers, Cassling said his margins are slimmer than he’d like them to be and the uncertainty of demand can be “nerve-wracking.”
Still, he said he’s definitely seen steady upward growth since opening.
“It wasn’t one of the those things where I was operating in the red for a long time,” Cassling said. “It’s never lost money.”
Cassling said he "silently" celebrated four years of business, but he is considering hosting an event at nearby bar The Burlington when his shop turns five.
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