Dick Fisher, U.S. Bells
56 West Bay Rd., Prospect Harbor, Me.
I started the business while living in Mass. This business has evolved through the years. I liked doing welded sculptures and began showing them at the South Shore Arts Festival. I found that the bells were more popular so I began focusing them. I like the sculptural look of the bells and the sound and motion. Most important to me is that it’s a product for the outdoors and I liked the connection with nature. I built a pushcart and got a peddlers license to sell bells in Boston. The business grew from there into a wholesale and retail business. I was involved in the American Crafts Council for Vermont and did juried shows. That is where I built a reputation and developed wholesale accounts.
I got married in 1973 and we were visiting people Downeast, we saw this land and bought it. From 1971-1975 I did seasonal work and followed the circuit of shows. In the early 80’s I began to look towards casting the bells and no longer welding them. I visited a foundry and watched the process and then went home and built a foundry of my own to produce bronze bells. I really liked the bronze, it sounds nicer, it doesn’t rust and I liked having the connection and the control of the process.
At first I hired 1 or 2 people, then at the peak I hired 5-6 people. I opened a retail shop on site, at the same time I filled wholesale orders and for a while was involved with LL Bean and another large mail order business. I found that this involvement took up too much time and product and for me it was better to work my retail shop and smaller wholesale accounts. As I have begun to scale the business down I have developed a web site where I sell my work. The web site does well and the retail shop is open from July to October.
The best promotion is word of mouth. I also have bought advertising in a wide variety of locations. I don’t always find immediate response from the ads but I do find long term success through advertising. The cheapest piece of advertising is to build a great product and stand behind it. Help the customer make it work and keep it working. That just feels right.
I live and work on the Peninsula because I love the life style and the quiet beauty. I bought the land here before I knew what the Peninsula was, the longer I have lived here the more reassured, and content I feel with the land, the area and the people. There is a strong sense of community here. People want to keep it simple and want to pitch in to care for it. I would not like to see this area change.
