About

Keller Strings was founded by Frank Keller in Manhattan, Kansas in 1975.  Initially a one-man hobby business performing instrument repair for the Manhattan School District, he sold Keller Strings to his daughter Paula Keller in 1990. 

Paula saw Keller Strings through many changes, moving the business to Kansas in 1991, expanding the retail and rental offerings and hiring several employees.  In 2013 Paula and husband John Smith brought Keller Strings to New Orleans.  Together they served the local community for 12 years, offering repairs, rentals and retail purchase of string instruments & accessories, first in the Riverbend, and later in Lakeview.  In July 2025, Keller Strings was sold to Jack and Lindsay Craft, as the Smith's entered their well-deserved retirement. 

Jack Craft, a professional cellist and New Orlean's native, has been a regular customer of Keller Strings since they first arrived in 2013 in the Riverbend.  When Keller Strings moved to West Harrison Ave in 2021, he showed up on opening day with a bottle of champagne - and was promptly asked to assist on the busy sales floor!  You can find him playing with eclectic string group Electric Y'at Quartet or rocking out with his indie-pop band Sweet Crude.  His wife, Lindsay Craft, is a former-nurse turned entrepreneur and the founder of local jewelry brand Lilliput Little Things.  She brings her business acumen to ensure the operation runs smoothly.  They are thrilled to continue the Smith's legacy and serve the string community of New Orleans for years to come.