It All Began with Repair…
J.L. Smith first opened its doors in 1991. At that point the company was a one-person band instrument repair shop serving mostly local musicians. It was a humble beginning. The first location didn’t even have a rest room; it was “quaint” as they say. Jeff had been performing expert instrument repair since 1977 and had established a reputation as a leading authority in the field. As musicians discovered the exceptional quality and detail of his work the business began to grow, necessitating the addition of employees… and plumbing. From there it was a natural progression to leverage Jeff’s knowledge and experience by developing a modest selection of quality supplies that we offered to the trade under the Performance Music Products banner.
Then We Started Selling Flutes
In 1995 we began offering high quality flutes to our customers in the underserved Southeast. This is our only retail endeavor and again, it was a natural extension or our business based on our extensive knowledge of woodwinds and our reputation for exceptional flute repair work. Since its inception the J.L. Smith retail flute department has grown to become one of the country’s most respected flute specialty houses.
Next Came Valentino
In 2004, we purchased the Valentino Company. We have always been huge fans of Pete Valentino’s innovative products and had used Valentino Greenback pads with tremendous success in our repair work for years before becoming a key Valentino distributor. At the time we purchased the company the Valentino product line included items for quick and easy repair by band directors, musicians’ “fix kits”, pads and supplies for professional technicians, and pads, supplies and components for instrument manufacturers. Since acquiring the company we have continued the tradition of innovating and advancing the materials and manufacturing process that Pete was famous for and we have expanded the product line to include a full range of synthetic pads, felt pads, springs, lubricants and accessories under the Valentino brand.
The Addition of Ed Myers
In 2006, we bought most of the assets of the Ed Myers Company. This brought us an array of new tools, parts and supplies for brass instrument repair, in addition to many brilliant Rex Bullock-designed tools, which we continue to manufacture and improve upon. The popular Hollywood resonators were part of the deal also.
Then we Bought Flute World!
In June 2015 J.L. Smith purchased Flute World of Farmington Hills Michigan. With it’s founding by Shaul and Liz Ben-Meir in 1983 Flute World defined the genre “flute specialty shop” and since that time has remained the largest flute specialty retailer in America. Our company continues to maintain the Michigan location, which currently employs eleven people. The Flute World brand continues to exist along side the J.L. Smith name in the flute business. The acquisition signifies our deep commitment to the flute business and gives us a greater online presence and wider geographic footprint. (www.fluteworld.com)
Altieri Was Next
In 2018 we acquired the Altieri Instrument Bag Company. Based in Denver Colorado, Altieri has a long established reputation for unique and excellent instrument case covers and bags. We continue to develop the product line and business practices at Altieri to serve merchants and musicians around the globe.
Today We’re Still Growing
Over the years, J.L. Smith has evolved into a leading maker and vender of American built tools, testing equipment, components and repair supplies to the instrument repair and instrument manufacturing trades globally, as well as a major nation-wide specialty retailer of fine flutes. We now proudly serve technicians and instrument makers in over 45 countries worldwide and the company includes over 45 great people who work together as a close-knit team to develop innovative products, perform expert repairs and find the perfect flutes for musicians of all levels. Everything we do we do with total commitment and passion for the music, the instruments, the art of repair and especially the musicians and technicians who have appreciated and supported the work we do. It’s an honor and a pleasure to serve the wonderful customers we have and we look forward to continuing the tradition for many years to come.
Some Key People in our Company:
J.L. Smith – President
Over the years, J.L. Smith has evolved into a leading maker and vender of American built tools, testing equipment, components and repair supplies to the instrument repair and instrument manufacturing trades globally, as well as a major nation-wide specialty retailer of fine flutes. We now proudly serve technicians and instrument makers in over 40 countries worldwide and the company includes 20+ great people who work together as a close-knit team to develop innovative products, perform expert repairs and find the perfect flutes for musicians of all levels. Everything we do we do with total commitment and passion for the music, the instruments, the art of repair and especially the musicians and technicians who have appreciated and supported the work we do. It’s an honor and a pleasure to serve the wonderful customers we have and we look forward to continuing the tradition for many years to come.
Sarah Hollandsworth – Director of Sales & Marketing
Sarah Hollandsworth is one of the finest professional flute consultants we know. She holds a Masters in Flute Performance from the University of Miami, Frost School of Music where she studied under Trudy Kane. Her BM in Flute Performance is from the North Carolina School of the Arts where she was a student of both Tadeu Coelho and Philip Dunigan.
In addition to her substantial talent as a flutist and remarkable skill as a teacher, Sarah has a gift for working with players of all levels and ages to discover the unique attributes of their personal playing styles and individual performance needs. It’s this passion for understanding the physical nuances, playing techniques and personal desires of flutists, along with her tremendous knowledge of the various flute brands and materials, that makes her such an asset to musicians looking for the right instruments to empower their playing.
Jackie Jacobson
Jackie Jacobson is the managerial powerhouse behind J.L. Smith’s manufacturing and customer service divisions, keeping our production schedules on track and our customer service team at the top of their game. From material inventory and machining processes to quality control and packaging to order fulfillment and shipping, Jackie keeps everything flowing. She’s a natural born supervisor with the remarkable ability to get things done with great efficiency. Even more remarkable is that she brings an outstanding measure of charm and good humor to the task. Through every aspect of manufacture and customer interaction she works to discover better and more efficient ways to live up to our promise to bring the finest tools and supplies to the instrument repair trade and to do it with the best customer service we can provide. It’s an extremely challenging job but Jackie makes it look easy. So easy in fact that we are looking into having her cloned.
Mark Farley – Fabrication
Next to J.L. Smith himself, Mark is our longest serving team member and one who has participated in each stage of our development from humble repair shop to leading international repair supply resource. For years he was the man behind the Repair Supply Department and many of you knew him as the “voice” of J.L. Smith, taking all the phone orders and answering customer questions. His sense of craft, his skills with materials development and his keen eye for quality control has made him essential to the success of our diverse product lines. He now leads our in-house production teams for Valentino pad production, punched products manufacturing and production team training. When he’s not busy keeping up with his extreme-overachiever children, Mark studies violin, vibraphone and keyboard, or occasionally gigs with his main instrument: drums. As far as we can assess, he never sleeps.