Photo: Matt Shearer / WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Walking down the aisles of Roslindale Hardware & Supply you may catch the sweet melodies of a violin echoing from down the hall. No, you're not imagining it, Owner Joe Porteleki frequently strums and serenades the store with his most prized possession: his 100-year-old trusty violin.
WBZ's Matt Shearer stopped by the store, one of the oldest in Boston, to face the music himself.
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The upstairs hardware store is 135-year-old, but it was 55 years ago when Porteleki took over and transformed the place into a retailer befitting an orchestra. The violin virtuoso takes his craft outside the walls of his shop too, playing all over town mostly as a side hustle. Not only that, Porteleki is a justice of the peace, sworn in to officiate weddings should the need arise.
"You come in looking for a frying pan and get married at the same time," Porteleki said.
When it comes down to it, many of the customers said they were happy to hear the violin while they browsed for nuts or bolts. The owner said he loves all people of all kinds, even the grumpy customers that come stomping in for a lightbulb.
WBZ's Matt Shearer (@MattWBZ) reports.
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