Les Accordéons Melodona

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Julie Rocque, owner of Les Accordéons Melodona, located in Montreal, QC, Canada.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

I've been repairing and selling accordions since 2008 in my Montreal shop and have been making an annual trip to Vancouver since 2012 to take part in the Accordion Noir festival (repair booth, workshops) and give some love and care to the west coast squeezeboxes. I'm now in the process of establishing various routes to do repair tours here in Quebec (follow this link to the travelog of the 2020 south shore tour). I also enjoy participating in this fun Accordion Babes CD and calendar project, which I usually help distribute as well. My customers are amateurs, pros, youngsters, elders, autodidacts, buskers, teachers, rockers, klezmorim, gypsies, and originals who make this versatile instrument their own. Then there's the occasional touching story of someone secretly giving a second life to someone else's old accordion in order to surprise them with it on their birthday. I have a soft spot for those.

Tell us about yourself

A sticky button on my accordion made me want to investigate one day... I opened it up and ventured into the impressive magical forest of rods, levers, and what not... I fell in love with the mechanism, which was so clever and simple at the same time. Two weeks later, a friend told me her accordion repairman could teach her for free, but she didn't have the time, so I asked for his number and became his apprentice for a couple of years. For fun. Really. I had no intention of doing that my business, but he kept encouraging me to take it on, and at some point, I realized it was a pretty sweet niche. I enjoy the meticulous meditative aspect of the work, as well as the flexibility of my schedule and the variety of personality types amongst my clients. Seeing their eyes light up when they get their precious squeeze box back in better condition is a treat. Follow this link to see Melodona interviewed on Our Montreal, produced in November 2021.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Keep it fresh and interesting in the long run by taking part in various side projects and taking my business on the road with the repair tours.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

For me, it's been a challenge to learn to respect my time and skills enough to charge what the work is worth. I still don't charge enough for certain things.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

Know yourself, what makes you tick, what your strengths and weaknesses are, and what you are willing and able to put into your project.
Know what makes you unique and what that's worth; why would a client seek you and not someone else.
If you need employers and/or collaborators, choose them very well, as the energy and flow in the dynamic will make all the difference in the world.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://melodona.wordpress.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melodonaccordions

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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