Ukuleles look to be recession proof

A good friend of mine is back in New Mexico for the summer after spending the last six months in Hawaii. At the end of the summer, he will move back to Hawaii.

One thing that he brought back with him to New Mexico, besides an impressive tan and a surgically repaired knee, was a ukulele. But it appears, according to NPR, that ukuleles might be recession proof.

Stan Werbin owns Elderly Instruments in Lansing. He sells ukuleles, among other instruments. During the holidays, he says, he sold out of ukuleles. This year, he estimates that his sales are up by 10 to 15 percent — a big deal, given that overall, instrument sales are down by around 20 percent.

Ukulele sales are up nationally as well as locally. Mike Upton, president of Kala Ukulele in California, says he's selling ukuleles faster than he can make them. Upton says ukes don't cost a ton of money — you can pick up a decent instrument for $30. His best-selling ukulele goes for $100. He says his sales of ukuleles are up 76 percent from 2007 to 2008 and he expects that trend to continue this year

The reason this caught my eye was because my friend's dad was playing the ukulele while my friend played bongos and his mom played the spoons last night after watching Game 7 of the NHL Finals.

And yes, it was as weird as it sounded.