Croft Music plays finale after century-plus in business

A 110-year-old music instrument business has concluded its coda.

On Saturday, Ian Crowson closed the doors for good on Croft Music and began his retirement. The company specialized in selling and renting string instruments — particularly violins — and sold accessories and sheet music.

For the last 23 years, Croft Music worked in tandem with Violins by Anton, a one-man business operated by luthier Anton Domozhyrov. Crowson rented instruments and Domozhyrov repaired them out of the same location at 833 Henderson Hwy. Domozhyrov will continue running Violins by Anton in the building.

Crowson announced his retirement on Facebook at the end of May, writing that he would finish his career shortly after his 72nd birthday in September.

“It got to the point where Croft Music was a labour of love more than anything else,” Crowson said last week. “It has to be that there’s a sort of sailing-off-into-the-sunset moment and I think I’m probably there.”

An accomplished trombone and euphonium player, Crowson purchased the business from Henry James (Harry) Croft, son of company founder James Croft, in August 1984.

Back then, the company offered a variety of band instruments as well as pianos and organs. After Crowson took over, it came to specialize in violins — just as it did when James Croft started the business.

At its peak under Crowson’s leadership, Croft Music had 27 full- and part-time employees, and rented 1,200 instruments annually. In recent years, Crowson has been the sole employee, renting out 50 to 60 violins per year to players of all ages.

James Croft, whose uncle taught him how to make violins, started the business in 1915.

Born and raised in England, Croft worked as an engineer after he moved to Winnipeg in 1904. Eleven years later, he started a career as a luthier, establishing an international reputation for his work, according to the Manitoba Historical Society.

Harry joined the business in 1926 and the shop came to carry an extensive collection of musical instruments and classical sheet music.

The store had numerous locations over the years. Crowson and Domozhyrov moved their ventures to the corner of Henderson Highway and Hazel Dell Avenue in East Kildonan in 2016.

Domozhyrov said he’s saddened by Crowson’s decision to close Croft Music but happy that his friend can retire.

“It’s hard to explain (but) we had some kind of good connection,” Domozhyrov said. “Everything was absolutely honest and true.”

Crowson’s knowledge, patience and helpful demeanour made Croft Music a go-to place for musicians, said Annette Hay, a music educator with more than 40 years’ experience.

“If I sent students there I could trust that he would find the right thing for them,” Hay said.

While Crowson’s looking forward to a retirement with no strings attached, he said he’s going to miss his customers and the joy he got from matching people with instruments.

“The No. 1 thing that always got me out of bed every morning was coming in and working with moms and dads to get their young child, that budding violinist, their first violin,” Crowson said. “That was always first and foremost in my desire to keep going at business.”

aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca