Today we’d like to introduce you to Saul Rosenthal.
Hi Saul, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’ve had 4 careers in my adult life but whenever I was asked what I did I would always answer “what I AM is a musician…what I do is just a job to support my addiction to music.”
My mother was a pianist and music teacher and I started on the piano at age 6. Except for a brief unsuccessful attempt to learn the cello, my two primary instruments have been piano and guitar. Today I can also play harmonica and a little mandolin and ukulele.
When my family and I moved to Denver from Omaha in 1983 we joined Congregation Rodef Shalom, a Conservative-affiliated synagogue. They had never had a professional Cantor leading their worship services and, having learned to do that over the years I was soon their Cantor – a position I held for 35 years until I retired in 2020.
I was also the founder of one of the first (and only) Jewish bluegrass bands in the US – Rocky Mountain. Jewgrass. We toured for about 10 years. After a couple of years not playing in a band, I started CONNECT FOUR, a quartet of guitar, cello, bass, and mandolin who play Folk and Americana music.
So, with all of that music activity in my background and ready to retire from what I was doing in 2015-16 it was no surprise to my friends and family when I purchased, along with my friend Claude Brachfeld, the Denver Folklore Center (DFC).
DFC is the oldest and beet known acoustic music store in the Denver area. It was founded in 1962 by Harry Tuft, known in Denver as The Godfather of Folk Music. Harry was ready to retire and when he told me he wanted out I offered to buy the store. It took 18 months to make it happen but on August 16, 2016, we took ownership. I’ve been loving working at the store and helping people find that perfect instrument ever since.
And for the first time, what I do and who I am are the same thing!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I’ve been fortunate to have one of the smoother of lives I suppose. I married my high school sweetheart in 1970 and Debbie and I have been together ever since. We have two wonderful twin daughters, Ellen and Joanne, and two grandchildren, Benjamin and Miriam, all of who live near us in Denver. So, except for the usual struggles of love and family that part of my life has been fairly smooth,
My career has been a bit more rugged. I started out as a college professor, teaching at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton and Creighton University in Omaha for a total of 9 years. Then the career change bug bit and we moved with our 4-year-olds to Denver so that I could work for the Anti-Defamation League. That career stop lasted 18 years. I left ADL and started my own PR firm which kept me busy and my family fed for another 15 years. And then the Denver Folklore Center opportunity came up and we jumped.
We’ve lived in Illinois, Florida, Nebraska, and Colorado and have moved more than enough times. AS I tell my friends, my next stop will be Golden Hill Cemetery – but hopefully not for a couple of decades.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’ve summarized my work history in an earlier question so let me focus more on skills in this answer. I am not the kind of person who is content simply “keeping things going.” So whatever job or career I am in I am always focused on changing and improving the environment. At the Denver Folklore Center, we’ve updated the business for the 21st century by using technology for managing our inventory and tracking our sales. We’re heavy users of social media which is new for the business and we are always looking for ways to take the business to the next level.
And at the same time, we are preserving what has been best about DFC – the welcoming environment, superior customer service, and the finest quality instruments available.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
Denver is a fantastic place to live. As they say, the sun shines here 300+ days a year. Of course, it can be shining in the afternoon after 6 inches of snow falls but the weather here is wonderful and avoids the extremes of some parts of the country.
The city is as culturally rich as any you can imagine. Art, theater, music, film, museums – all; thrive here and are broadly supported.
And being at the base of the Rocky Mountains means easy access to outdoor activities at whatever level of skill one might have.
On the negative side, too many people have moved here over the last 30 years and we now have traffic and crime issues comparable to other large cities.
Contact Info:
- Email: Info@denverfolklore.com
- Website: www.denverfolklore.com
Image Credits:
DFC
Saul Rosenthal
