Recording studio at Plain Values available for families at no cost
The recording studio at Plain Values in Winesburg is now available at no cost for families to come share stories of their family history and have them recorded, videoed and preserved for future generations.
While attending his father’s funeral service in Indiana, something unique struck Marlin Miller, owner and CEO of Plain Values in Winesburg.
As hundreds of family members sat around and shared stories and anecdotes from the past, Miller realized all the stories that were fresh and from the heart should have been preserved so future generations could enjoy these pieces of family history.
“I remember sitting under that tent with Pop’s cousins,” Miller said. “I remember thinking, ‘These are my roots. This is where I come from. This is who I am.’ I remember how healing it was to sit there and take in all of these stories, and I’m so excited to be able to share that same opportunity with others now.”
Miller said while he didn’t have the foresight to record those stories then, he doesn’t want others to miss out on experiencing that same feeling of sweeping nostalgia, love and joy.
Inspired by that thought, Miller realized he had the perfect place for others to share together, that being his in-house studio at Plain Values.
Miller had built the studio to do some podcasting for the business but quickly realized the recording studio would sit empty 97% of the time, something he felt was a huge waste.
Rather than do that, he came up with a novel concept: Why not allow area families to come in and record their own family history sessions?
“A friend who had buried his mom the summer before last, and he made a comment that if he could go back, he would put his mom and dad on film in front of a mic and ask them questions,” Miller said. “Everything that Plain Values is about, everything my wife and I are about with our kids is about slowing down and really living in the moment.”
Miller said out of that concept he arrived at the thought of opening his studio for families to come share life with one another.
The studio is set up with three different cameras and several microphones, and Miller said families can choose to record via audio, on camera or both to capture these memories.
Miller said his joy in offering this studio experience for free to families is knowing they will be preserving their family history and passing stories of family that are enriching, serious and even humorous.
Miller said every family has their own personal history filled with unique characters and moments that should live on through the generations.
As a way of kicking off this opportunity, Miller brought in several area people to create the pilot podcast. The group included Marcus Yoder, executive director at Behalt; Roc Baker, a CPA who is extremely involved with many different local nonprofit organizations; and Dave Mast, co-owner of AloNovus, better known to people as The Bargain Hunter.
The trio joined Miller for the podcast and simply shared stories from their own histories.
Yoder shared a story about a recent encounter when he passed by a man and the aroma of that man’s cologne transported him back to 1976, when traveling encyclopedia salesmen came to his parents’ house.
That experience began Yoder’s lifelong obsession with reading.
“That man’s cologne took me back,” Yoder said. “When a family forgets their stories, they become like a dementia patient who can’t interact in the modern world because he is dismembered. When we remember those stories, we are relevant.”
“This is going to bloom and is the key to unlocking some really neat doors for families,” Baker said.
Yoder said people create natural boundaries, and when they get together and share stories like this group did during the podcast, it breaks down barriers and builds relationships.
While this podcast is posted and available for viewing, Miller said he wanted to make sure families know one thing about creating their own personal recording sessions.
“These are solely for the families, and they can do whatever they want to do with them,” Miller said. “They can record them, and we will give them a flash drive of the experience, and what they do with it from there is completely up to them. They can make duplicate drives and give them to family members. They don’t need to share them on social media, and we won’t ever post them anywhere. These recordings are for the preservation of each family’s history, their own personal stories and moment in life that they hope to pass on down through generations so people and events won’t ever be forgotten.”
He said families that record in the studio aren’t doing it for themselves, but rather for generations to come.
Anyone wishing to bring family members together for a recording session may do so by texting or calling 330-390-1208 or emailing marlin@plainvalues.com.
The pilot podcast gives more details and is now available by visiting Plain Values’ YouTube channel.