In case it's of any interest, being a student at the Birmingham School of Music in the 1970's, I remember the Thomas Smith shop as it was just off Broad Street next to the Repertory Theatre. All destroyed now for the new library and the concert hall. Thomas Smith was the name of an English violin maker working in London 1740-1790; I assume the shop took the name, there is probably no connection in making terms. Jan Kudanowski worked there in the 1970's as the newpaper clip announces, I had one of his instruments and very fine it was too; later he set up on his own. There was another violin shop in the jewellery quarter called Sydney Evans, above a shoe shop at 45 Regent Place, an altogether quieter scene. By the time I went there it was run by David Evans who had trained in violin making in Germany. Just recently on the tv channel Talking Pictures they showed a short documentary film that featured David and the town in Rank's 'Look at Life' series, called 'Village of Violins', now available on DVD. David settled back in Birmingham and with his links to Germany specialised in providing violin making materials for most if not all of Britain's professional and amateur violin makers through the 1970's and 1980's. David was very helpful to me.