About Us
It started with an allergy to wood dust.
Tom Fellenbaum had his workshop in his Black Mountain home, where he had been happily building dulcimers, guitars, and mandolins
for years, until 1998, when he married Stephanie Wilds, whom he had met as one of his dulcimer customers. Much as she loved Tom and
his instrument-building profession, she couldn't handle the wood dust, so Tom was obliged to move his shop to a vast space in downtown
Black Mountain, the present location of Acoustic Corner. After struggling for a year with uncontrollable temperature and humidity, Tom
casually suggested that he needed 'some walls', and maybe it would be nice to have a little retail space to display his instruments, and
Stephanie needed a meaningful job, and thus the concept of Acoustic Corner was born.
Of course, it wasn't that simple. It took six months of construction to turn the ugliest building in Black Mountain into a unique music
store. Local multi-genre musician Matt Kinne came on-board right from the start, laying down his guitar in favor of a nail gun, at least for
a few months. Stephanie bounced between laying pavers and painting walls to setting up the business accounting system and making
vendor contacts. And, despite the constant stream of repairs now coming in the door, Tom attempted to get his shop back in order and to
produce new instruments to fill the new showroom.
Since opening in 2000, Acoustic Corner has grown steadily, in inventory, programs, community involvement, and commitment to our
vision. Before the doors even opened, it was obvious that Tom would never be able to actually 'fill' the showroom, so we sought out other
hand-made and well-made instruments to complement our stock. We found that this area was in serious need of a music store that
catered to acoustic music, especially old-time, Celtic, and folk styles, and started carrying instruments and accessories that filled those
needs. We built lesson rooms right from the beginning, and our teachers have kept them occupied ever since. Tom found he couldn't get
anything done with all the repairs coming in, so in 2004 repair technician John Logue joined us on a contractual basis to stem the tide of instruments
needing care. In 2010 John was replaced by Ben Brockway, fresh from the Repair Program in Red Wing, Minnesota. Ben also helps out the
showroom staff from time to time. We currently have two showroom employees: Matt Kinne is still with us and serves as our
Showroom Manager, while David Zoll, who joined us in 2006, serves as our Setup Technician and Instruction Coordinator. Both David
and Matt supplement their time at Acoustic Corner with teaching and performing. Stephanie received some training in violin set up
and repair, which nicely balances the tedium of business accounting, though it doesn't help with the wood dust allergy.
Moving beyond our initial modest intentions, we have also grown more convinced that what motivates us to operate a shop like
Acoustic Corner is more important than ever. We strive to promote music playing for all ages, skill levels, and music genres, because it's
fun, it's good for you, and it connects us to our music heritage. We strive to market and promote hand-made instruments whenever
possible, and quality factory-made instruments from companies who appreciate independent merchants and demonstrate good economic
and environmental ethics. We aim to provide the highest level of knowledgeable, helpful service in purchases, repairs, rentals, and
instruction. And we support local community efforts that also encourage acoustic music-making, with cash and in-kind contributions and
event participation. To-date, these programs include:
- Youth Scholarship Fund, The Swannanoa Gathering
- Warren Wilson College 'Fiddles 'n' Folklife' Festival
- Black Mountain Parks and Recreation Department's 'Park Rhythms' concert series
- Swannanoa Library's 'Groovin' on Grovemont' concert series
- Asheville's 'Shindig on the Green'
- LEAF in Schools and Streets
- Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM)
- Joyful Noise Community Music and Arts Center
- Black Mountain Greenways
You can read more about Tom on his webpage, and about our staff on our
Staff and Services page. There's more detail about our
business philosophy on our Philosophy page.
Links
Black Mountain Music Scene
Administered by local music maven Don Talley, this website has all the info you need to catch some great music almost
every night of the week, right here in Black Mountain.
WNCW
If you haven't heard of WNCW, you've missed out on one of the best radio stations in the world. Listen on-line, or tune
in to 88.7 FM while you're driving into Western North Carolina.
Swannanoa Gathering
The Gathering is a series of music and dance workshops and public concerts held each summer on the campus of Warren Wilson
College, near Asheville, in the heart of North Carolina's beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.
LEAF
The Lake Eden Arts Festival or LEAF, is one of the best festivals of its size anywhere in the country -- certainly in the
Southeast. It's an intimate gathering -- attendance is limited to 5000 people - on the beautiful and historic site of Black
Mountain College. The festival features everything from fabulous music, dynamic poetry slams, contra and swing dance,
healing arts, and lots of fun for kids. There are ample opportunities for a full range of experiences and expressions, and
playful spirits of all ages are welcome.
Old Farmer's Ball Contradance
A long-standing tradition, the Old Farmer's Ball is one of the best contradances around. Their site provides a calendar of
contradance and other dance events for the greater Asheville area.
White Horse Black Mountain
Black Mountain's newest venue features a wide variety of great music, and is available for all sorts of events as well.
It's non-smoking, and it's right next door to Acoustic Corner.
Grey Eagle Tavern and Music Hall
A nationally respected venue for original music, each month the Grey Eagle brings you an eclectic mix of nationally touring
artists, in genres such as singer/songwriter, bluegrass, rockabilly, jazz and blues. Bars are easy to come by, but a true
music room is a rare treasure.
Diana Wortham Theatre
Located in the heart of downtown Asheville on historic Pack Square, the Diana Wortham Theatre seats just over 500 and boasts
exceptional acoustics and sightlines, making it the premier performance space in all of WNC.
Asheville Classical Guitar Society
A great local resource for the guitar enthusiast.
Western North Carolina Dulcimer Collective
The Western North Carolina Dulcimer Collective is a member-supported group of players of mountain and hammered dulcimers,
and those who enjoy listening to dulcimers and/or playing other traditional instruments with them. The group meets once
per month at the Folk Art Center in Asheville to share tunes and information.
Black Mountain, North Carolina: Chamber of Commerce and Business to Business
While your planning your trip to Acoustic Corner, make sure you allow yourself enough time to enjoy one of the nicest
little towns in the South. Find out more by visiting these two websites, which list shops, hotels, restaurants and
events in this area.
Band Links
Links to some of our favorite local artists (in no particular order) whose CDs we're please to offer for sale.
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