The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind
The answer is blowin’ in the wind.
— Bob Dylan, 1962
In 1979, percussionist Garry Kvistad received hundreds of inquiries and orders when National Public Radio ran a feature on the precision-tuned wind chimes he had been tinkering with. He and his wife Diane realized that they had the potential for creating a viable business. It turned out that they had more than that.
This month, 42 years later, the Kvistads sold Woodstock Percussion, Inc. to Sullivans, a Sioux Falls, South Dakota-based home-décor business that distributes its products to more than 15,000 retail stores and has expanded into other significant outlets. The price was not disclosed.
The wind chime business grew fast from its humble beginnings as a home industry. In 1985, it moved from their barn to a commercial building on Stone Road in West Hurley. Outgrowing that space, it moved in 1999 to a spectacularly spacious company-owned building in Shokan that was once the main manufacturing plant for Rotron fans.
Woodstock Percussion will continue as a subsidiary of 50-year-old Sullivans, which was itself a family-owned business purchased in 2014 by Boston-based Fort Point Capital, a successful private-equity firm. “It’s all about growth,” proclaims the Fort Point website. “We don’t pick winners. We help to make them.”
Sullivans has committed to keeping Woodstock Chimes intact, with its current employees. “Making sure our staff continue their employment here in Shokan was an important consideration in finding a new owner,” Garry Kvistad explained. Stacey Bowers will remain president under the new ownership.
Kvistad’s interest in sound has never diminished. He has continued his career as a professional percussionist. He has designed wind chimes both tiny and huge. He has invented chimes true to the scale of various world cultures.
For the past 19 years, Kvistad has been a member of the percussion group Nexus, which composer and sound pioneer Steve Reich has called “probably the most acclaimed percussion group on Earth.”
Precision tuning has always been the hallmark of Woodstock Chimes products. The search for that high degree of craftsmanship was the main reason for exclusive manufacture at the Shokan plant.
At its peak, the Shokan facility employed 110 Chimes workers. Woodstock Percussion presently employs about 45 people. It continues to distribute from the Shokan plant.
A big change came when the Kvistads and Bowers finally came around to the conclusion that other manufacturers, if closely monitored, could meet Woodstock Chimes standards — and at a lower cost. The brand had by then been well-established, with a large and loyal following. The company made the transition to becoming a distributor rather than a manufacturer of its products.
Garry Kvistad will now retain his substantial collection of musical instruments at the facility and serve as an ambassador to Sullivans. Sullivans plans on bringing back the popular Woodstock Chimes warehouse sale as soon as it is possible.
“Sullivans’ growth strategy led us to search for opportunities to extend our leadership position in indoor home décor to outdoor and garden décor,” said Sullivans CEO Tom Russo in the press release announcing the transaction last week. “The alignment of our companies’ cultures, award-winning product line, unwavering commitment to customer service, and a talented, dedicated team at Woodstock Chimes makes this a very appealing addition to the Sullivans’ portfolio.”
Deciding on an ownership succession at Woodstock Percussion, the Kvistads had decided to search for a potential buyer, looking to well-established companies with a market-leading position. They hired Aramar Capital Group, a New York City-based investment banking firm specializing in lower-middle-market transactions, to find the most appropriate buyer. That search eventually led to home-décor industry leader Sullivans.
“We’re excited to combine our leadership in home décor with Woodstock’s excellence in sound quality,” added Sullivans marketing director Tawni Buhler in the same press release. “We plan to drive a décor-forward approach that has not historically been seen in the wind chime space, creating even more beautiful and serene spaces in holistic wellness and outdoor environments.”
In addition to its signature wind chimes, Woodstock Chimes also produces Swarovski® crystal suncatchers, bells, gongs, and musical instruments. “I think there is a lot we can do to expand our product categories beyond wind chimes and suncatchers, which is exciting,” said Bowers.
For its part, the buyer also sees an opportunity to use Woodstock Chimes to get Sullivans into the door at new outlets. “The Woodstock Chimes lines provide tremendous growth potential in areas like wedding gifts and memorials, and will strengthen our offerings in floristry, garden centers, hardware stores, and more,” said Sullivans sales vice-president Lisa Juul.
And that’s in addition to the likely invasion of the wellness space.
What will the sale mean for Ulster County? Over the years, the Kvistads have lent advice and generous financial support to a number of local, county and regional institutions and causes through the Kvistad Foundation (dba Woodstock Chimes Fund). Now in their early seventies, they often visit their two daughters and grandchildren in Florida.
They plan to stay in this area, which they say originally attracted them in 1979 because of its beauty and artistic reputation.
Join the family! 
