Sisters’ ‘hidden’ economy has a big footprint
But for many years, a “hidden” economy has been perking away, just off the beaten path in Sisters’ light industrial parks on the north end of town. And in the past couple of years, Sisters’ cadre of “makers” has expanded its footprint and made an impression in the traded sector well beyond this small town. Nestled right in town, next to The Belfry, which is a regionally well-known music venue, is the shop of Preston Thompson Guitars. The late Preston Thompson founded the company in Sisters in 2013, returning to a lifelong passion for recreating the legendary sound of “golden age” (19291939) Martin guitars. The company is thriving, despite the tragic passing of its founder in 2019. The company employs 10 builders, plus general manager Christine Funk. They produced 140 custom guitars in 2020. Many of those instruments are in the hands of top-tier musicians. Others appeal to
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WWW.SISTERSOREGONGUIDE.COM
collectors and to hobbyist musicians who take their playing seriously. According to Funk, the coronavirus pandemic “slowed us down — and gave us a lot more orders.” Complying with distancing requirements in a small shop was responsible for the slowdown. People reassessing what they want in life had a hand in increasing orders. People who always wanted a fine, custom instrument decided to no longer defer the desire.
people in a custom tile business that has its roots in the artistic designs of Susanne Kibak-Redfield. The company is owned and operated by Redfield’s daughter Carli and son-in-law Will Strachan, so it’s a second-generation family business — third generation if you account for the artistic bent, work ethic and Continued on page 14
“We also had the Billy Strings Signature Model, which was a limited edition,” Funk said. “We made 33 of them.” Launched in March 2020, they sold almost all of them in that year. Funk said the company would like to hire one more person and expand their custom inlay offerings. But they have no ambitions to get “big”. “We’re really a custom shop,” Funk said. “We don’t want to get really big.” And they intend to stay that way. The goal is to have the capacity of producing 200 custom guitars in a year, for the most discerning of players. For more information, visit www.pktguitars.com. Kibak Tile employs seven
Preston Thompson Custom Guitar
Most visitors to Sisters enjoy walking Cascade, Hood, and Main Avenues, exploring shops and galleries and sampling the wares of restaurants, delis and food carts. They might be forgiven for thinking that Sisters’ economy is that of your typical tourist town.
