Two Bloomington artisan businesses, Stephen Shock Violin Repairs and Artisan Alley, have managed to say afloat despite decreased business during the coronavirus pandemic.

Shock has had his small workshop on Third Street for almost 20 years now. Artisan Alley founder Adam Nahas said the collective began with the goal of catering to a wide variety of artists and it continues to today.

While Shock’s shop does have a Facebook page and a website, he said most of his business comes from word of mouth. “I don’t advertise at all,” he said.

Shock even draws customers from out-of-state. “I even get stuff from Nashville, Tennessee. Just wherever,” he said. At the time, he was working on bows for the Wichita Symphony.

He works on a variety of instruments, not just violins. Guitars, banjos and homemade instruments sit on stands and hang from the walls of his shop. Shock said “I’ve always worked on guitars and stuff just on my own. I’m just real handy. Artsy-fartsy.” He pointed out a guitar on the wall that he made about 20 years ago.

Shock worked as an illustrator for companies like Cummins before deciding he wanted to learn to work on violins.

“I’m not really a violin maker. I’m a violin repairman. It’s usually that way. You either repair violins or you make violins,” he said.

Shock learned to repair violins from his friend Al Stancel in Indianapolis. He asked to work for free in Stancel’s shop so he could learn. Stancel passed away in 1999.

Nahas said despite having to cancel several of their programs, the organization has actually seen a spike in studio rentals as more people are stuck at home without a space to work. “A lot of small businesses and creative businesses have been looking for a space that they can be distant that’s still affordable, and some people have been downsizing from their bigger studios where they cover entire buildings into small rooms where they just have to cover their studio rental,” he said.

Artisan Alley is also taking extra precautions by cleaning more frequently and making masks and hand sanitizer available.

Artisan Alley closed temporarily earlier this year.