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It is an Extremely Difficult Market

"It is an extremely difficult market to be profitable in because there are so few players," says former veterinarian Jim Palenscar, who recently opened the second steel-guitar store in California. "I must know all 30 steel-guitar players who live within 100 miles."

Palenscar has played in local country bands Horsefeathers, Unbridled, and Scary Mary and the Noose. He says he "hated" country music but got into it because of the steel-guitar sound. "I just don't hear it enough. That's why I picked it up to begin with. I've been into steel guitars since 1974."

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He opened Steel Guitars of North County because of a medical problem: three years ago, after 25 years as a veterinarian, Palenscar, 52, developed adult onset asthma. Coupled with his allergies to cats and dogs (which he says "wasn't a big deal"), the asthma forced him to sell his Oceanside vet hospital with 15 employees.

"I basically hung out at home for a year. I told my wife, 'I have to find something to do.' She said, 'You can start by cleaning out the living room,' which is where my music stuff is. I had five pedal-steel guitars and four lap-steels. I said, 'Okay, I'll open a store.' "

At his store, Palenscar repairs and sells steel and pedal guitars and Dobros. "They start at $500 and go up to $9000." But the retail part of his store, he says, is "to supply the needs of the local players.... At night we sometimes have jam sessions."

For Palenscar's grand opening, he rented out a hotel conference room near his San Luis Rey Valley shop for a concert featuring JayDee Maness, who played the haunting lead on Eric Clapton's "Tears in Heaven." The show sold out with no advertising.

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"It is an extremely difficult market to be profitable in because there are so few players," says former veterinarian Jim Palenscar, who recently opened the second steel-guitar store in California. "I must know all 30 steel-guitar players who live within 100 miles."

Palenscar has played in local country bands Horsefeathers, Unbridled, and Scary Mary and the Noose. He says he "hated" country music but got into it because of the steel-guitar sound. "I just don't hear it enough. That's why I picked it up to begin with. I've been into steel guitars since 1974."

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He opened Steel Guitars of North County because of a medical problem: three years ago, after 25 years as a veterinarian, Palenscar, 52, developed adult onset asthma. Coupled with his allergies to cats and dogs (which he says "wasn't a big deal"), the asthma forced him to sell his Oceanside vet hospital with 15 employees.

"I basically hung out at home for a year. I told my wife, 'I have to find something to do.' She said, 'You can start by cleaning out the living room,' which is where my music stuff is. I had five pedal-steel guitars and four lap-steels. I said, 'Okay, I'll open a store.' "

At his store, Palenscar repairs and sells steel and pedal guitars and Dobros. "They start at $500 and go up to $9000." But the retail part of his store, he says, is "to supply the needs of the local players.... At night we sometimes have jam sessions."

For Palenscar's grand opening, he rented out a hotel conference room near his San Luis Rey Valley shop for a concert featuring JayDee Maness, who played the haunting lead on Eric Clapton's "Tears in Heaven." The show sold out with no advertising.

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4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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