D’Addario– Strings and over 1000 Accessories
Brothers-in-law Rocco and Charles D’Addario in 1905 packed up their belongings and immigrated to from Salle, Italy to Astoria, Queens, New York. Charles’ father Giovanni, remained in Salle, manufacturing the strings the brothers in law would import in an effort to raise more capital for their politically- and financially- challenged hometown. They brought with them the foods and customs of Salle, and the string-making tradition that would after while also find a home in the United States.
Rocco soon returned to Italy, but Charles enjoyed his new home more and more, and as his family grew, so did his business. In 1918, Charles would begin generating his strings stateside in a tiny garage shop behind the family’s Astoria home. Charles personally marketed his strings to violinmakers and musicians, never hesitating to travel in order to make demonstrations. He was consumed with the quality of his product, and often sought the advice and opinions of the great musicians of the time.
The biggest tradition, but the one least likely to receive any headlines, is D’Addario’s appreciation for their employees. A company that started with family has grown to require the talents of so many people working together toward the same goal. What has become important is to preserve the family’s values, while encouraging the growth of the company.
Operations have expanded on several occasions with the largest expansion in 1994, when the company relocated to a new 110,000-square foot facility in Farmingdale. Today D’Addario & Company, Inc. occupies a total of 190,000-square feet at its Farmingdale headquarters, an additional 51,000-square feet at the Rico manufacturing facility in California, and employs more than 900 people, each one of them making an invaluable contribution to what has always been and always will be a family business.