Post by Michael Messer on Oct 23, 2014 13:45:35 GMT
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A Staten Island legend and owner of a beloved music landmark has died.
Stan Jay, 71, owned the Mandolin Brothers music store for more than 40 years, attracting musical greats like Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Paul McCartney to Staten Island. In August, he was hospitalized with the life-threatening disease Mantle Cell Lymphoma, which he succumbed to Wednesday morning.
Although the store on 629 Forest Ave., West Brighton, might appear plain and unassuming, it is one of very few trusted mandolin destinations in the country — and a mecca for fretted instrument lovers. This is due in large part to Stan's unwavering work ethic and love of the instruments, friends and family said.
"He ran the place like an extension of his living room," said Marc Horowitz, a longtime friend and manufacturers representative. "Whenever anyone walked into his shop, the first thing out of his mouth was, 'have you been here before? Take your coat off, put it on the hook, take down any instrument you'd like and give it a try.'
"He pretty much let the instruments speak for themselves."
Stan and his wife Bea were married for 40 years. To his family, he was the best husband, father and grandfather anyone could have asked for, said his daughter Alison Reilly, who, along with her brother Eric Jay, still works at the shop.
But to the music community at large, Stan was an institution.
"People always asked, 'if he retires, who will take over?'" Alison said. "My answer is that, 'if Mandolin Brothers was a human body, Stan would be the heart.'"
Reilly said the outpouring of love from the community upon hearing of her father's death has been heartening, but not surprising.
"He worked 10 to 12 hour days, seven days a week, holidays, Sundays," she said. "He was a walking Wikipedia. He had knowledge that he held within his being."
"People always asked, if he retires, who'll take over? My answer: if Mandolin Brothers was a human body, Stan would be the heart," said Alison Reilly
At the time he opened Mandolin Brothers in 1971, he was one of just two vintage instrument dealers in the country, Horowitz said.
Stan was well-known for his humorous and insightful descriptions of all the instruments in his online catalog MandoWeb.com. Apart from customers coming in to buy instruments, many visitors would come in the hopes of seeing a celebrity, or simply to marvel at the latest purchases, Horowitz said.
In a 2006 article in the Advance, Stan discussed the shop's prestige in the music community, casually dropping names like Bob Dylan, Bela Fleck, Lauryn Hill, Lenny Kravitz, Paul McCartney and George Harrison. Still, he said all customers are treated equally — "There's no pretentiousness here."
"We're trying to fulfill something that makes people feel good about themselves," Stan said at the time. "Mandolin Brothers is not here to sell you your first guitar. We're here to sell you your third guitar."
With Stan's passing, his family members say they're unsure if the shop will continue to operate.
Reilly said that the store has stopped ordering new instruments and has sold much of the existing instruments. The gaps in the walls where instruments used to hang will likely continue to widen unless a new owner buys the shop, she said.
In an earlier conversation with the Advance, Stan's son Eric said they're hoping to find someone who can take over the business. There has been interest from potential buyers, but nothing concrete.
Regardless, Stan takes with him an irreplaceable expertise and connection to the community, friends and family said.
"Everyone says it's the end of an era, and it is," Horowitz said. "Nobody did it like Stan and nobody was as dedicated to the profession as he was."
In memoriam of Stan, Mandolin Brothers will be closed Thursday, Oct. 23 and Friday, Oct. 24. The shop will reopen Saturday, Oct. 25 at 10 a.m.
— His service is scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 24, at Meislohn-Silvie Funeral Home, 1289 Forest Ave
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R.I.P. Stan Jay
Shine On
Michael
