In a bright-red building in Shipshewana, the gentle sound of wind chimes fills the air, each note singing the praises of craftsmanship and tradition. This is the home of Lambright Country Chimes, a business with a long history dating back to 1998, humble beginnings and steady hands.
At the helm is Orley Lambright, who officially took over the company in 2022. “My cousin started it from scratch,” Lambright says. “I was working in the RV industry then, and one evening he just showed up in my driveway and asked if I’d want to buy the business. That’s how it all began.”
While Lambright hadn’t worked with wind chimes before, he saw – or rather heard – the potential. Today he oversees a small team of nine employees who handcraft hundreds of chimes weekly in that same red building that houses both the workshop and retail space.
The birth of Lambright Country Chimes reads almost like a fable. Lambright’s cousin was welding aluminum parts for his brother’s refrigeration business when an RV company asked if he could fabricate aluminum rafters. He accepted and ordered a semi-truck full of square aluminum tubing. Then came the plot twist; the RV company backed out, and the aluminum supplier wouldn’t return the materials, leaving his cousin in a quandary.
Left with a costly inventory, he visited a flea market and spoke with a wind-chime vendor. “He told my cousin, ‘Make me some square tube wind chimes. There’s nothing like that out there. If they sound good and you stand behind them, I’ll sell them,’” Lambright says. And with that, the first Lambright chimes were born.
Wind chimes may seem like simple outdoor decorations, but their creation is surprisingly technical. Lambright explains the process with the detail of a craftsman and the ear of a musician. “When you make a new chime, you must tune them,” he says. “It depends on the size, diameter, wall thickness and even the temper of the aluminum tube. All those factors affect the sound.”
Each chime is carefully cut and tested, grouped with others that harmonize well, and then standardized for future production. While the chimes aren’t custom made, every set is the result of trial, tuning and a keen sense of what is pleasing to the ear. “Most people want a calming sound, not that sharp, tinkly stuff,” Lambright says. “Our focus is on the musical quality.”
Durability is another hallmark of Lambright’s wind chimes. Lambright believes in his product so much that the company offers a lifetime warranty on the string, the only component likely to break. “They’re all aluminum,” Lambright says. “They don’t rust, even if they get beat up in a storm. If the string breaks for any reason, we’ll fix it for free and pay return shipping.”
This attention to quality has earned Lambright Country Chimes a loyal customer base. While the store draws a steady stream of local shoppers, most of their chimes are sold through dealers in nearly every U.S. state and even parts of Canada.
While wind chimes are the main event, Lambright’s retail space also carries a selection of rustic, handpicked goods. “We brought in things like handmade corn brooms, bird feeders, birdhouses, leather belts and a few small antiques,” Lambright says. “Just fillers – stuff that people seem to like.” These items round out the store’s country charm and give visitors something more to explore after they’ve chosen the perfect chime.
If you think wind chimes are petite patio accessories, think again. Lambright sells chimes that reach up to 84 inches long, with tubes as wide as 3 inches, and bells crafted from 5-inch tubing. Lambright says these oversized chimes produce deep, resonant tones that can transform a backyard into a tranquil retreat.
What about those who can’t hang them outdoors due to noise ordinances or close neighbors? “Some people hang them inside by a heat register or fan,” Lambright says. “That way they still get some movement and sound.”
Lambright Country Chimes is more than a business; it’s a blend of artistry, ingenuity and family legacy. It began with a mistake and a surplus of metal, and grew into a respected name in handcrafted wind chimes. And under Lambright’s leadership, the business is clearly in good hands – steady hands that understand the power of a sound carried through the wind.
For more information, visit lambrightchimesllc.com.
