Tired Arms From All That Flying
December 9, 2022
Good Morning, Everyone!
I think one of the neatest things about being a dulcimer player is getting to meet other dulcimer players. Folks from all around the globe. They'll come visit the shop (in Woodburn, Indiana), see me at a dulcimer festival, or stop and say "hi" after I finish a performance somewhere. I probably get to meet 20 percent of you in person, the rest of you are either voices (phone) or email messages. Maybe one day I'll get it to 50/50, but for now, 20 percent in person isn't bad at all!
For shop visits, we usually ask for people to let us know they're coming, so we can set aside time exclusively for their visit. It works well for everyone. A couple of weeks ago, we had a couple of shop visitors overlap by a few minutes - one appointment ran a little long, and the couple with the second appointment arrived a bit early. No worries - they got to meet each other!
In this photo: On the left is me (Richard Ash) with a couple of very, very nice visitors to the shop. In the center, is a customer from Alaska - who flew into Columbus, Ohio - and then drove over to see us. On the right, is a customer from New York - who flew into Indianapolis, Indiana - and then drove up to see us. A LOT of visitors to our shop find it much less expensive to fly to a nearby large city, then drive to Woodburn. Our closest airport, Fort Wayne, is small, and it is rare to find direct flights here.
Or, maybe they've heard stories about a certain airline smashing one of Bing Futch's dulcimers the last time he flew into Fort Wayne?
Either way the Alaska person (who drove from Columbus) and the New York City person (who drove from Indianapolis) got to spend the day in our showroom and shop, and they got to experience some Folkcraft hospitality. Isn't it neat how people who live 4000 miles apart can hang out together in Woodburn, Indiana, and totally enjoy themselves? They have the shared joy of dulcimer playing and that's all it usually takes to make a connection.
When are YOU going to visit our shop? Guests are always welcome...
Thanks for reading - have a great weekend!
Richard Ash, connection-maker