Factory builds guitars, hope for small town

HINDMAN, KY. — Within one of the storefront buildings along the modest Main Street of downtown Hindman, men curled over workbenches on a recent Wednesday and whittled hardwood into the familiar outlines of guitars and mandolins.

Nathan Smith, a Knott County native and musician, used to come here often.

He represents what the Appalachian School of Luthiery hopes to offer Eastern Kentucky: a chance for people with a substance use disorder to turn their lives around, all while providing Hindman a similar hope for a brighter economic future.

He’s one of the first employees of the school’s sister factory, the Troublesome Creek Stringed Instrument Company. Plans are to employ 65 people here in six years and sell some of the highest-quality stringed instruments in the country.

Since the beginning of 2018, about 40 students have gone through the luthiery program. Nearly all were either referred to the luthiery through drug court — a supervised treatment program offered to convicted criminals in lieu of jail time — or a nearby rehab center.

Earlier this year, the Appalachian Regional Commission awarded an $867,000 grant to get the factory up and running, along with a $220,000 investment from the East Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program.

The factory plans to spend about $1.2 million over the next three years on its operating costs. Its management hopes to begin creating revenue through guitar sales within the next few months.

Doug Naselroad, director of Troublesome Creek and master luthier at the Appalachian School of Luthiery, said he thinks the factory could help jump-start Hindman’s economy, leading to a greater demand for restaurants and other businesses in its sleepy downtown.

Troublesome Creek’s lowest-paid employees currently make $13 an hour and receive no benefits. Naselroad said he plans to change that once the factory starts turning a profit.

Like many students at the Appalachian School of Luthiery, Nathan Smith ended up there after years of substance use disorder led to his eventual arrest and enrollment in Knott County Drug Court.

The court gave Smith three options for classes during the week: Blacksmithing, pottery or luthiery. He opted for luthiery.

RYAN C. HERMENS/LEXINGTON HERALD LEADER/TNS Scott Beaty makes a guitar at the Appalachian School of Luthiery in Hindman, Ky. The school trains people in drug recovery to make string instruments.