In mid September, Snelling Avenue welcomed a new resident just a few blocks from the Hamline University campus. The new addition was Vig Guitars, owned and run by Ted and Angie Vig. 

Though he had been playing the guitar since the young age of ten, Ted truly started to discover his passion in the early 90s when he attended various colleges, including Music Tech in Minneapolis and Southeast Technical College, focusing on the construction of the instrument. 

Not only has Vig worked and managed many other guitar shops, such as Wetterlund Guitars in Northfield and Vintage Strings in Bloomington, he has also traveled as a guitar technician for Mint Condition, a locally raised R&B band from the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Ted jumped from completing a few repairs a week to close to fifty after beginning work at My Music (Golden Valley, Minn.) in 2005. 

Once he and Angie acquired the lease on Snelling, they began the setup of Vig Guitars in July, upon which they both moved on from their respective jobs. 

Both Ted and Angie are a big part of the local blues scene, having met at Blues Open Mic Jam in the summer of 2009. They play in a five piece band called Bad Lucky, in which Ted plays guitar, Angie sings and three other friends provide the guitar, bass, drums and vocals. You can find their website and more about the band at badluckyband.com. 

Vig Guitars specializes in repair services and sales, but they also have a large selection of parts and other instruments. The shop features images of local musicians, as they like to support the talent that comes out of their city. 

If you are interested in stopping by the shop to see it all for yourself, the store is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and closed on Sundays. You can find the shop on Facebook under Vig Guitars or at 595 Snelling Avenue, St. Paul, MN.