“Our parents were serious DIY’ers and they encouraged us to create, build and work with our hands,” says Dondi Carder, who owns the shop along with his brothers, Jason and Justin. The Carder brothers and their sister, Tonya Ferguson, came from a creative family. Carder’s father was a carpenter. Growing up in such a creative family, opening a creative business was a natural goal.
“We’ve been screen printing as a side hustle since 2000, and we’ve always built and created things,” Carder said, “so we just decided to combine the two things and that became Unsung.”
A good word for Unsung Salvage is “eclectic.” Carder prides himself on that. Aside from artwork, records, screen-printed T-shirts and other “oddities,” Unsung Salvage can offer almost any sort of customized items. Some of Unsung’s offerings are products of the owners’ imaginations, while others are based on customer requests. Carder said he doesn’t know of any other store with Unsung Salvage’s business model.
“If you’re into music, pop culture and vintage and handmade, we’re for you,” Carder said.
It hasn’t been easy to own a business in the post-COVID world, and Unsung Salvage is no exception. Despite the period of revitalization that downtown Hamilton is experiencing, one of the biggest problems Unsung Salvage has faced recently is slow traffic in the store, especially on the customization side. Still, Carder carries on, with plan to add an auto-screen printer to the printing side and to expand the record store. For Carder, it’s worth the trouble to do what he loves, work with his family, and serve beloved customers.
Unsung Salvage is located at 212 Main St. in Hamilton. It is closed Sunday through Tuesday and open from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
