| Way back in the last century,
in 1979, almost at the dawning of the Reagan era, a (somewhat) younger
couple settled in a small shop in Richfield, Minnesota, just south of the
Minneapolis border. Marv and Dawn Menzel set out to serve the acoustic
musical needs of the Twin Cities, and they have succeeded in creating a most
unique place.
Homestead Pickin' Parlor has become a center
of activity for those interested in folk music, blues, bluegrass, and every
other genre which has grown up from those. It hosts music instruction,
jams, workshops, finds obscure recordings, provides the supplies needed by
musicians, and sells banjos, guitars, autoharps, hammer dulcimers and a host
of other noisemakers not easily found elsewhere.
But the Homestead Pickin' Parlor is much more
than a store -- it is a community resource. Countless times, someone calls
the store looking for a record, and they only remember one line, but they
think they heard it on MPR's Morning Show, and couldn't someone please help
them? And most often, they find that music and probably much more.
Marv and Dawn hope to continue that tradition
for a good while longer, and invite you to join in. |
