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Business & Tech

Dulcimer Business is Music to the Ears

Jim Newman crafts a beginner line of the folk instrument by hand in his Affton workshop.

On Friday morning in a small, non-descript building nestled in the strip of businesses along Gravois Road, Jim Newman is tuning up the multitude of strings on a large hammered dulcimer. After playing a brief tune of ringing, resonant notes, he explained the appeal of the instrument.

"It's fun to play. You've got motion, you've got percussion," Newman said. "The sound of it is what I like the most."

Despite his self-proclaimed status as an amateur muscian, Newman spends all day surrounded by dulcimers as the owner of. His line of instruments can be found in music stores in St. Louis and in 12 different states, as well as from a variety of online outlets.

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Newman currently only sells to wholesalers, so his space on Gravois Road is filled with equipment, sawdust and dulcimers in various stages of construction. Although the instruments he crafts are meant for beginners, Newman still creates each one by hand. The raw planks of Spanish ceder and other lumber are cut, sanded, layered together and glued into the trapazodial shape of a hammered dulcimer.

Shaping wood is nothing new for Newman, a St. Louis native who has spent most of his life running his own carpentry business. His path from carpenter to dulcimer maker began with a trip to Silver Dollar City, near Branson, MO., when he first heard a professional play a duclimer.

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"I just loved the sound of it," Newman said.

He later purchased a duclimer, but admitted he didn't stick with it at first. However, several years ago, Newman decided to give the instrument another shot and began taking lessons under the tutelage of Rick Thum, a well-known professional player based in St. Louis.

In addition to playing the instrument, Thum also designs his own line of hammered duclimers, part of which he was looking to sell. So, after more than 30 years running his own carpentry business, Newman, 53, decided to take on a new challenge; Jake's Cabin Dulcimers was born.

"I got to the point where I needed a change, and when I learned this business was for sale, I thought I'd give it a shot," he said.

Now, Newman ships about 300 dulcimers a year and his biggest customer is the shop in Silver Dollar City where he first heard one played. He said he has no regrets about his business venture. Although his small workshop is crammed with equipment, Newman said it's nice to have the space to himself.

"Carpentry and remodeling is in the field," he said. "Sometimes you are out in the heat or out in the cold. Residential construction and carpentry is physically demanding, whereas this is a lot more pleasant work. I enjoy having a shop where I can just come here every day and do my thing."

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