I love the sound of wind chimes and have many sets
of chimes hung around my house and yard. A set of chimes hanging by my back
door are gently ringing to set the tone for me as I write this post.
It’s no surprise, then, that The Wind Chime Shop
became a must-stop the first time I spotted it during a trip to southern Ohio’s
Hocking Hills area.
The little wooden cottage looks fairly modest,
nestled among the trees along a road near Old Man’s Cave in Hocking Hills State Park, but going inside to see the store’s impressive collection of chimes was
an amazing experience for this chime fan.
I’m not known as one of those ‘shop ‘til you drop’
folks (unless you’re talking about visiting book or music stores), but after a
stop during our last trip to Hocking Hills, I staggered out of the shop with a
load of chimes rivaling the load of luggage and camera equipment already
clogging the back end of my Aztek.
Some sets of chimes ended up as gifts, but many of
them ended up in my own yard.
A little trio of stacked temple type bells hang from
the end of my hammock stand where they emit a soft tinkling sound as I rock in
my hammock reading or snoozing.
The set that seems to draw the most attention and
compliments on its resonant sound is a set of Gentle Spirits chimes hanging
from the awning over a door leading to my backyard patio. While many larger chimes seem to have a more
harsh and metallic sounding clash, this particular set of chimes has a truly melodic
and soothing tone.
William Phillips opened the Wind Chime Shop in 1987.
He opened an adjacent Christmas shop and candle shop in later years. Local residents Mike and Judy Hard purchased
all three shops in 2007.
The Christmas
and candle shops are worth a visit if you like holiday decorations or want to
check out a nice selection of candles (many of them created by Ohio artisans),
but I skipped the other two stores in favor of spending all of my time in the
Wind Chime Shop and listening to nearly every chime in the store. Even Tim, who usually just shakes his head and
tries to ignore my various obsessions, joined the party by running his fingers
along several sets of chimes and insisting on taking the set of Gentle Spirits
chimes home with us.
I may get down to the store only every five or six
years, but luckily for me, the store’s Web site offers many of my favorite
chimes via mail order. So, even if I can’t run my fingers over the chimes as I
shop, I can always run my fingers over my trusty keyboard to find the perfect
gift or yet another set of chimes to hang in my own yard.
© Dominique King 2008
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