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.
Links and information in story updated 2020
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(updated 2020)
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