The Long Island Violin Shop, a fixture since the 1940s, seems to have permanently shut down, yet the intense legal battle between the founder’s family and the current owner is far from over.
Recent court filings reveal that Manny Alvarez, the owner, recently loaded about 30 bass violins, including a highly valued $250,000 Panomous bass, into a truck last week.
These legal documents point to an ongoing dispute involving Alvarez and Barry Colstein, whose father established the store back in 1943. Colstein ran the business for many years before transitioning ownership to Alvarez in 2019, but he claims that the instruments taken belong to him.
“This was my life’s work. My dad had me in this store for all those years. He’s held in high regard internationally, and there’s been no other store for almost five and a half years,” Kolstein shared.
Alvarez, who started working at the shop as a teenager when he couldn’t afford a violin himself, was offered a job there under Colstein’s guidance.
Kolstein, now 75, expressed his sorrow over the situation: “This is just tragic. I never wanted this, for him or for our customers. It’s heartbreaking.”
While Alvarez operates the store, Kolstein still owns the building and the store’s name. He has an office in the shop, claiming some items that belong to him.
Concerns arose when Kolstein noticed issues with the surveillance cameras last Thursday, leading to the discovery of a legal dispute regarding a title contract. By Friday, the cameras were disabled, with reports that Alvarez had removed not only the instruments but also his father’s belongings like a Kolstein personal computer and a file cabinet.
A court hearing is set for June 9, where both parties expect to present their cases.
“I just want to recover our inventory,” Kolstein said, clearly pained by the potential loss of his father’s legacy. “It’s disheartening to see all that effort disappear. I wish we could keep the business alive with respect.”
Meanwhile, Alvarez’s lawyer stated, “We’ll address this issue in court.”
