“Our parents were avid DIYers and encouraged us to create, build and work with our hands,” said Dondi Carder, who owns the store with her brothers Jason and Justin. speaks. The Carder brothers and his sister Tonya Ferguson come from a creative family. Carder’s father was a carpenter. Growing up in such a creative family, starting a creative business was a natural goal.
“We’ve been doing screen printing on the side since 2000, and we’ve always been building and creating things, so we just decided to combine those two things and it became Unsung. ” said Carder.
A good word to describe Unsung Salvage is “eclectic.” Carder is proud of that. Aside from artwork, records, screen-printed t-shirts, and other “odds,” Unsung Salvage can offer just about any kind of customized item. Some of Unsung’s products are products of the owner’s imagination, while others are based on customer requests. Carder said he doesn’t know of any other stores that use Unsung Salvage’s business model.
“If you’re into music, pop culture, vintage and handmade things, we’re the place for you,” Carder said.
Owning a business in a post-COVID-19 world hasn’t been easy, and Unsung Salvage is no exception. Even though downtown Hamilton is in a period of revitalization, one of the biggest issues Unsung Salvage has been facing lately is crowding in the store, especially on the customization side. Still, Carder continues to plan to expand the record store by adding automatic screen printers to the printing surface. For Carder, doing what he loves, working with his family, and serving the customers he loves is worth the trouble.
Unsung Salvage is located at 212 Main St. in Hamilton. Closed Sunday through Tuesday, open Wednesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
