H L Wild

I used to go to HL Wild in the mid to late ‘70’s to buy the occasional tool, ebony, rosewood, and ivory. It was owned by an elderly couple with a huge fat dog. The husband’s name was Eddie, I forget the wife’s name. They were in their70’s at least. Once you got t past the smell, it was a charming cluttered place. They were always very nice to me despite the fact that I was a poor student who couldn’t afford more than one or two items at a time. They used to let me poke through the basement, where I uncovered a complete deep-sea diving suit, complete with helmet, boots, and lead weights. By then, a lot of the musical instrument wood in the basement was pretty much rotten. As I recall, Wild was in the neighborhood since the mid 1800’s, serving the numerous German violin makers lining in the Lower East side. I left the area in’79. By the time I returned in the mid ‘80’s they were gone. I think I found Wild through “The Whole Earth Catalog”. It was a very different time…