Wood-N-Strings:
a music lover’s paradise
By Stephanie Edwards
Music and great craftsmanship are a passion at Wood-N-Strings Dulcimer Shop in Townsend.Owners Mike and Connie Clemmer opened their store in 1996 as a place for Mike to sell his unique hand-crafted fiddle back dulcimers.
Mike has had 35 years of experience in making dulcimers and the desire to open a one-of-a-kind shop where customers could enjoy trying out the instruments. Connie, on the other-hand, had no experience playing the dulcimer.
“I planned to do the books for the store and re-stock inventory. Mike insisted that I needed to learn how to play because he wouldn’t always be in the shop, and customers would want me to demonstrate how easy it is to play the dulcimer. He taught me a song in 10 minutes,” Connie said.
Each of Mike’s beautiful masterpieces have distinctive details like cutouts of hummingbirds, butterflies or just about any shape imaginable. Customers can order custom instruments with their desired details. Order completion times vary depending on season.
Hoping to build an instrument with a banjo-like sound, but with the playing ease of a dulcimer, Mike developed his ban-jammer. While similar instruments were previously available, none of them met Mike’s sound expectations.
Wood-N-Strings also sells other variations of dulcimers, fiddles, lap harps, and bowed psalteries by other craftsmen, as well as a wide variety of jewelry, sheet music, CDs and Appalachian crafts.
On Saturday evenings during summer months, Townsend visitors can check out the dulcimer shop’s Pickin’ Porch concerts at 7 p.m.
Store hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday during the months of January, February and March and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday the rest of the year.
Wood-N-Strings is located at 7645 E. Lamar Alexander Pkwy in Townsend. Dulcimer lovers who cannot pay the Clemmers a visit in person should check out their website www.clemmerdulcimer.com.
For more information, call (865) 448-6647.
