How long has Fiddleheads been in business?

[Photo: Rhiannon and her toddler Lydia with the Fiddlesticks Student violin group in 2003]

The short answer? Since 1997, years!

Owner Rhiannon Nachbaur began teaching violin in 1994 during school in La Mesa/San Diego, California. Following graduation with Honours from a contemporary music college, "Rhiannon's Violin Studio" opened in Nelson, BC on November 1, 1997, the very day she officially immigrated to Canada.

She relocated to Salmon Arm/Canoe, BC in 1999 to play in a regional symphony and start a family and quickly founded the region's most booked-solid lessons studio, "Fiddleheads Violin School." Only three years later she was receiving nominations and wins for regional business awards, and with a small toddler on her hip.

Frustrated by local music stores' limited options in quality instruments for her students, her violin and accessory sales to Fiddleheads students commenced in 2002. By 2004 she was offering online sales to the public from a modest but informative website. The business expanded nicely as Rhiannon began commissioning instruments direct from various makers in Europe and Asia and shipping to customers around the globe.

Rhiannon's focus has not been on expansion or rapid growth; rather she strives to provide a grounded boutique-style experience for her customers that is sustainable and where product quality and her award-winning service do not suffer.

With the intentions to "brain dump" her vast violin knowledge into a website, she launched this awesome site in 2021 after 2 1/2 years of meticulous and dedicated development.

Our "About Us" page delves into more in-depth history behind this innovative and inspirational business that has made a lot of people very happy.

Thanks for taking an interest in Fiddleheads!