I used to go to HL Wild in the mid to late ‘70’s to buy the occasional tool, ebony, rosewood, and ivory.
It was owned by an elderly couple with a huge fat dog. The husband’s name was Eddie, I forget the wife’s name. They were in their70’s at least.
Once you got t past the smell, it was a charming cluttered place. They were always very nice to me despite the fact that I was a poor student who couldn’t afford more than one or two items at a time. They used to let me poke through the basement, where
I uncovered a complete deep-sea diving suit, complete with helmet, boots, and lead weights.
By then, a lot of the musical instrument wood in the basement was pretty much rotten.
As I recall, Wild was in the neighborhood since the mid 1800’s, serving the numerous German violin makers lining in the Lower East side.
I left the area in’79. By the time I returned in the mid ‘80’s they were gone.
I think I found Wild through “The Whole Earth Catalog”.
It was a very different time…
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