The Cincinnati Enquirer recently ran a story on Rising Sun's Main Street success story Wm. Rees Instrucments and it's new Harpsicles harp. The Rising Sun/Ohio County Chamber of Commerce is proud to have this company as a member and looks forward to their continued presence in our community for many years to come.

RISING SUN - A small, colorful harp that has changed the way music lovers look at this heavenly instrument has brought national attention to its creators, William and Pamela Rees.

The attention has resulted in an invitation for Pamela to speak in Washington, D.C., before an industry group about the importance of innovation in manufacturing.

The playful, diminutive instrument that comes in a rainbow of colors to suggest Popsicles has made harp playing available to the masses and also has more than doubled the size of the Southeast Indiana couple's small harp-making business.

Harpsicles is the name coined for the small, lap-sized harps by William and Pamela Rees, owners of Wm. Rees Instruments LLC.

Their workshop turns out about 100 of the Harpsicles per month. The popularity of the small harp and its relatively low price point of between $300 and $400 have made it a top seller around the world, beating out sales of cheaper overseas harps that have long dominated the small-harp market, said Pamela.

This competitive advantage is what caught the attention of the Council on Competitiveness, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank that was created 20 years ago by a group of CEOs, university leaders and union leaders to look for ways to keep the United States at the forefront of competitive economic growth into the 21st century.

After Pamela Rees met the president of the council, Deborah Wince-Smith, at the Indiana Leadership Summit earlier this year, Wince-Smith invited her to speak July 25 to the National Strategy Council, a part of the Council on Competitiveness.

She was intrigued with the Reeses' business story.

Bill Booher, chief operating officer for the Council on Competitiveness, said the Reeses' business exemplifies the spirit of competition that the council is looking to foster.

FELL IN LOVE WITH RISING SUN

Formerly located in Northern California, the Rees family has been making stringed instruments for more than 30 years. The couple moved their business to Rising Sun six years ago after driving through the town on a vacation and falling in love with it. Their two grown sons, Bryant and Garen, are active in the business.

The Reeses' full-sized concert harps have for years been among the most sought-after lever harps for professional musicians, said Pamela Rees, because of William's unique designs and high-quality craftsmanship.

Professional harpist Laurie Riley of Sedona, Ariz., who has recorded more than a dozen compact discs of harp music and frequently tours the country for performances, said she routinely uses the Rees harp for her professional playing.

"They are definitely among the top harp makers of the lever harps," said Riley.

The team of 13 craftspeople at their Rising Sun workshop builds only 12 to 15 concert harps per month. Each full-size harp sells for between $2,000 and $7,000.

The Harpsicles take a fraction of the time to build compared to the concert-sized harps, Pamela Rees said. The business turns out 100 Harpsicles a month with the same staff it takes to build just a dozen concert harps.

"Basically we work on the concert harps from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on the Harpsicles from 3 to 6 p.m.," she said. "Keeping the construction time down allows us to keep the Harpsicle affordable, because the materials are the same as for the large harps."

STURDY AND INEXPENSIVE

The Harpsicles come in brightly painted hues with names such as cherry, grape and lime to suggest Popsicles.

The Harpsicles have been well received by young musicians just learning the harp and by more experienced musicians who just want a more portable version of the large harp, said Pamela.

Weighing 4 pounds and standing only 33 inches tall, the Harpsicle can be taken almost anywhere. It's sturdy and inexpensive enough that it doesn't need the white-glove treatment that a larger harp demands.

The Harpsicle's success has thrust the Reeses into the limelight as the only U.S. makers of this type of instrument. Their Harpsicle is outpacing sales of cheaper import harps that have for years dominated here.