A Life in Music: How Violin Outlet Became Las Vegas’s Heartbeat for Strings

From a tiny backroom to a cornerstone of music education, Mara Lieberman’s Violin Outlet has kept generations of students playing, learning, and dreaming.

On a dusty stretch of Charleston Avenue decades ago, a young woman arranged flower pots outside a backdoor to brighten up what was really just an alley. Inside, in a room no bigger than a small bedroom, violins lined the walls, waiting for their first players. The sign above the building read “Violin Outlet,” a name that felt as precarious and hopeful as the business itself.

“I never thought it would be successful,” says founder Mara Lieberman, reflecting on those early days. “It really was nothing, just me putting ads in the Nifty Nickel newspaper and selling out of my house. But somehow, it grew.”

Today, Violin Outlet is not only one of the largest suppliers of orchestral instruments in Nevada, but also a fixture in the city’s music education community. For more than 40 years, Mara and her team have supplied violins, violas, cellos, and basses to thousands of young students in Clark County, shaping the sound of music in Las Vegas classrooms.

From Italy to the Desert

Mara’s story begins far from Nevada. She was born in Italy and immigrated to the United States in 1960 at the age of five. Her parents, both concert pianists, left behind a country still recovering from war. They landed in Las Vegas when the city was a modest town of 60,000 people, a far cry from the neon spectacle it would become.

“My parents built a music program here when there wasn’t much culture yet,” Mara recalls. “They played at the Tropicana Hotel and then taught piano at home. Music was always in the air.”

Although she grew up around pianos, Mara took up the violin instead. She wasn’t sure what direction her life would take, but when Las Vegas schools began experimenting with orchestra programs, a path appeared. She briefly taught orchestra without credentials, then ran a friend’s music store, before deciding to strike out on her own.

What began as a side hustle selling instruments from her living room soon grew into something bigger. “Teachers would tell me, ‘Why don’t you open your own business? You know what we need,’” Mara says. Her husband Gary, who worked in a separate career, invested their $10,000 life savings. They took a chance.

A Leap of Faith and a $99 Violin

The turning point came when inexpensive violins from China entered the U.S. market. With a little adjustment, they became perfectly playable for students. Mara bought them in bulk, set them up, and sold them for $99.

“I sent flyers to the schools, telling them I had $99 violins. We sold out fast,” she says. Rental programs followed, giving Violin Outlet steady income to expand.

From that small backroom with flower pots, the business grew to multiple suites, 3,000 square feet, and more than 10 employees. At its peak, it was one of the largest violin shops on the West Coast, thanks in part to Clark County School District, which relied heavily on Violin Outlet to supply classrooms.

Staying Old School in a Changing World

Through all the growth, Mara held tight to an old-fashioned philosophy. Customer service, not technology or aggressive marketing, has always been her cornerstone.

“If you look at our ratings, you’ll see we run it old school,” Mara says. “We answer the phone, we have enough people to take care of you, and we treat you like family.”

The shop’s continuity is what sets it apart in a transient city like Las Vegas, where businesses rise and fall quickly. “Growing up here, everything changed. Casinos imploded, landmarks disappeared,” Mara says. “I wanted Violin Outlet to be that one place you could always come back to and know we’d still be here.”

Even now, though Mara has stepped back to be a caregiver for her husband, the business continues with her longtime staff. Her manager Sabrina started taking cello lessons there at age 13 and joined the staff at 16. Now in her 40s, she continues to run the store with the same values Mara instilled.

Music, Memories, and Milestones

Violin Outlet has never been about transactions alone. For Mara, the greatest joy comes from watching students grow into musicians.

She recalls one young violinist who could not afford a quality instrument. Mara let him take home a fine violin for almost nothing, telling him to come back once he could play the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto. Years later, he returned, taller, older, violin in hand. He played the concerto right there in the shop before winning scholarships to study in Italy.

“It’s stories like that that make it all worthwhile,” Mara says, her voice still filled with wonder.

Employees too have carried the shop’s legacy into the wider world. One became the head of Nevada School of the Arts, another opened a violin shop in Vietnam, and many others went on to prestigious roles in the music industry. “Seeing them succeed has been one of the most rewarding parts of my life,” Mara says.

Holding Steady Through Challenges

For all its success, Mara insists she never planned any of it. “I don’t have a business degree. I never borrowed money. I never had a year where I lost money,” she says. “I made the whole thing up as I went along.”

Still, there were challenges. Seeing longtime customers buy from competitors after being helped at Violin Outlet stung. COVID forced her to shut down the school side of the business. And the Commercial Center, where the store has been located for decades, declined over the years.

Yet Mara stayed. “A lot of our business comes from schools, so we didn’t depend on walk-ins,” she explains. “Now Clark County owns the building and plans to renovate it into an artsy square with studios, museums, and restaurants. A violin shop fits perfectly into that vision.”

She smiles at the thought of one day seeing the neighborhood restored. “We’re just hanging in there, waiting for the area to be brought back to life.”

What Makes Violin Outlet Different

More than the instruments themselves, it is the personal attention that defines the shop. Mara has always believed in knowing her customers deeply.

“You have to care about what you’re doing. You have to be as honest as possible,” she says. “I could tell when someone walked in if they needed a better instrument, a smaller one, or if they were just playing for fun. Every student is equally important.”

The shop’s reputation has spread mostly through word of mouth. Teachers hand out flyers, parents tell other parents, and students recommend the store to friends. While the Internet has helped, Mara laughs at her own technological shortcomings. “We’re very mom-and-pop, very old school,” she says. “And I like it that way.”

Why Las Vegas Still Needs Violin Outlet

In a city known more for showgirls and slot machines than for symphonies, Violin Outlet has quietly nurtured a culture of music education for generations. Thousands of students who first picked up a bow in a school orchestra class are there because of Mara’s vision.

The business has become more than a store; it is a bridge connecting families, schools, and the community to the joy of music. Its continuity has given Las Vegas something rare in a place where change is constant: stability.

“When people come back and see the same faces after 30 years, it means something,” Mara says. “It means they can trust us.”

Looking Ahead with Heart

As Violin Outlet prepares for the future, Mara’s hope is simple. She wants the shop to remain a place where students feel supported, where parents know they will be treated honestly, and where the music of Las Vegas continues to grow.

“I was able to make something out of nothing,” Mara says. “If there’s one lesson, it’s that you have to care, work hard, and know your customers. Do those things, and the rest will follow.”

For Las Vegas families seeking violins, violas, cellos, or basses, Violin Outlet remains the city’s most trusted home for string instruments. To learn more, visit violinoutlet.com or connect on Facebook at Violin Outlet and Instagram at @violinoutlet.

This feature is part of The Business View Journal’s Local Spotlight Series — your trusted source for discovering the best small businesses in your community.