Below are testimonials from our Kamoa customers and we are grateful for their Aloha and Friendship, We could not do what we do without you. Mahalo nui loa.
Hi Carl,
Just a note to let you know I got the receipt for the Uke purchase. Thanks. I think I will really enjoy playing it. What do you call the larger sized Uke? I forgot
That was a fun lesson last night. See you next week
Mahalo,
Judy
I'm loving my Kamoa Uke. What a difference in sound and the way it feels. Thank you
Kari Barnett.
I am loving my new Uke! I can't put it down. It sounds heavenly.
Thank you Susan DeBoer.
Thanks so much! Loving the uke. Helen Burr, Vigo Spain.
Can't say enough about Carl and his service on purchased Ukuleles. I bought a Ukulele about 3 months ago. A piece broke and he repaired it right in his store. I've also taken lessons from Carl. In my opinion, great teacher.
This is a fun article from The Bend Bulletin from 2013.
Love at first strum
Bend musician plays ukulele in Hawaii, decides to sell them
Six years ago, Carl Ventis picked up a ukulele for the first time while on vacation in Hawaii. And those first strums sparked a passion that led Ventis to start his own ukulele business in Bend — Snow Dukes Ukes.
“If you had told me back in 2007 when I picked up that ukulele this iswhere it would have led, I wouldn’t have believed you,” he said. “That was the seed that started this whole thing.”
The 59-year-old Bend resident has played acoustic guitar since age 14, performed in local cover bands for 17 years and taught guitar lessons for nearly 30 years. He even released a CD in 2008 of songs he had written. But he had never started his own business.
“If all you are doing is playing gigs, all you have to worry about is getting paid and making sure all the equipment works,” he said. “When you own a company, it’s a whole other thing.”
He was offered the opportunity to become a Kamoa Ukulele dealer in the beginning of November, and about two weeks later he started Snow Dukes Ukes.
Ventis is one of two Kamoa Ukulele dealers in Oregon. The instruments are designed in Hawaii, and all but the top of the line are made in China, he said. They are shipped to Larry’s Music in Kapaa, Hawaii, where the headquarters of Kamoa Ukulele Co. is located.They are inspected and then shipped to Ventis and the other dealers across the globe.
Kamoa Ukulele prices range from $199-$1,698, he said. To date, he’s sold about 30 ukuleles. He also sells cases and strings, and plans on branching out to sell other accessories, such as humidifiers to help maintain the ukuleles in the High Desert.
While Ventis doesn’t have a storefront, he brings his ukuleles to the Bend Ukulele Group’s Tuesday night jams at Kelly D’s Sports Bar & Grill on Southeast Cleveland Avenue. He also makes appointments to meet potential ukulele buyers at the Sound Garden, where he gives guitar and ukulele lessons.
And this summer he plans to turn his business into a “brick-and-motor” business, traveling to ukulele festivals in Bend and the Willamette Valley.
“It’s blossoming. It’s not getting smaller, it’s getting bigger,” he said referring to the ukulele community in Central Oregon. “With a ukulele, you can learn songs and sing them, and that’s where it all starts ... I can show you how to play Colbie Caillat’s “Bubbly” in a minute ... This isn’t about learning scales and theory. It is, but over time. This is about, I want to learn ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ from that movie ‘50 First Dates.’ ”
Q: Why should a consumer buy a ukulele directly from you instead of through the Kamoa Ukulele website?
A: I’m local. You can go to the Kamoa site and buy one for the same price. However, when you go to ship it, it costs $50 bucks. When you buy from me, you also get a free lesson and you’re not going to pay the shipping because I absorb that cost. And I’m here, so if something goes wrong with the ukulele, I have someone here who repairs it.
Q: Where do you see your business in five years?
A: For now I’m basically a Kamoa dealer. But I ultimately see myself having a brick and mortar (store). My business is only limited by my imagination. I don’t want to sell just (Kamoa) ukuleles. I want to eventually design, create and sell my own. It might seem like a lofty goal, but I think it’s attainable. This business is just an embryo right now.
Hi Carl,
Just a note to let you know I got the receipt for the Uke purchase. Thanks. I think I will really enjoy playing it. What do you call the larger sized Uke? I forgot
That was a fun lesson last night. See you next week
Mahalo,
Judy
I'm loving my Kamoa Uke. What a difference in sound and the way it feels. Thank you
Kari Barnett.
I am loving my new Uke! I can't put it down. It sounds heavenly.
Thank you Susan DeBoer.
Thanks so much! Loving the uke. Helen Burr, Vigo Spain.
Can't say enough about Carl and his service on purchased Ukuleles. I bought a Ukulele about 3 months ago. A piece broke and he repaired it right in his store. I've also taken lessons from Carl. In my opinion, great teacher.
This is a fun article from The Bend Bulletin from 2013.
Love at first strum
Bend musician plays ukulele in Hawaii, decides to sell them
Six years ago, Carl Ventis picked up a ukulele for the first time while on vacation in Hawaii. And those first strums sparked a passion that led Ventis to start his own ukulele business in Bend — Snow Dukes Ukes.
“If you had told me back in 2007 when I picked up that ukulele this iswhere it would have led, I wouldn’t have believed you,” he said. “That was the seed that started this whole thing.”
The 59-year-old Bend resident has played acoustic guitar since age 14, performed in local cover bands for 17 years and taught guitar lessons for nearly 30 years. He even released a CD in 2008 of songs he had written. But he had never started his own business.
“If all you are doing is playing gigs, all you have to worry about is getting paid and making sure all the equipment works,” he said. “When you own a company, it’s a whole other thing.”
He was offered the opportunity to become a Kamoa Ukulele dealer in the beginning of November, and about two weeks later he started Snow Dukes Ukes.
Ventis is one of two Kamoa Ukulele dealers in Oregon. The instruments are designed in Hawaii, and all but the top of the line are made in China, he said. They are shipped to Larry’s Music in Kapaa, Hawaii, where the headquarters of Kamoa Ukulele Co. is located.They are inspected and then shipped to Ventis and the other dealers across the globe.
Kamoa Ukulele prices range from $199-$1,698, he said. To date, he’s sold about 30 ukuleles. He also sells cases and strings, and plans on branching out to sell other accessories, such as humidifiers to help maintain the ukuleles in the High Desert.
While Ventis doesn’t have a storefront, he brings his ukuleles to the Bend Ukulele Group’s Tuesday night jams at Kelly D’s Sports Bar & Grill on Southeast Cleveland Avenue. He also makes appointments to meet potential ukulele buyers at the Sound Garden, where he gives guitar and ukulele lessons.
And this summer he plans to turn his business into a “brick-and-motor” business, traveling to ukulele festivals in Bend and the Willamette Valley.
“It’s blossoming. It’s not getting smaller, it’s getting bigger,” he said referring to the ukulele community in Central Oregon. “With a ukulele, you can learn songs and sing them, and that’s where it all starts ... I can show you how to play Colbie Caillat’s “Bubbly” in a minute ... This isn’t about learning scales and theory. It is, but over time. This is about, I want to learn ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ from that movie ‘50 First Dates.’ ”
Q: Why should a consumer buy a ukulele directly from you instead of through the Kamoa Ukulele website?
A: I’m local. You can go to the Kamoa site and buy one for the same price. However, when you go to ship it, it costs $50 bucks. When you buy from me, you also get a free lesson and you’re not going to pay the shipping because I absorb that cost. And I’m here, so if something goes wrong with the ukulele, I have someone here who repairs it.
Q: Where do you see your business in five years?
A: For now I’m basically a Kamoa dealer. But I ultimately see myself having a brick and mortar (store). My business is only limited by my imagination. I don’t want to sell just (Kamoa) ukuleles. I want to eventually design, create and sell my own. It might seem like a lofty goal, but I think it’s attainable. This business is just an embryo right now.
