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Time Capsule: The Ravenna House c.1980

October 8, 2014
Posted by
Dusty

We've told you the story of how Dusty Strings came to be, and now we're sharing a snapshot (well, a few snapshots) of the first few years and the particular place where it all began. Take yourself back to 1980...

This is the Ravenna House.

Ray plays dulcimer on the porch of the house where Dusty Strings was founded

Hammered dulcimers, such as these...

Co-founder Randy Hudson holds up a dulcimer for display
Hand-lettered sign on a D200 dulcimer for sale

are built in the basement shop...

Proud craftsmen stand by a pile of freshly-cut pinblocks
Ray glues a dulcimer next to the woodstove in the basement

by these people...

The crew of six Dusties pose for the camera in a pile of sawdust

and displayed in the living room...

Dulcimers are displayed on a sheet in the living room of the Ravenna house
Dulcimer display stand in the corner next to some houseplants

while wood is stored in the garage, the office work is done in the spare bedroom, customers come to the house at odd hours and there is dust everywhere. In spite of limited space, the company is rapidly growing from 14 dulcimers over the first two years to 132 dulcimers in 1979 to 236 dulcimers in 1980!

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