My name is Carol Boyer.
In 2009, in my mid-forties, I had a stroke and could not move or talk. I have gone through a great deal of therapy and I am still trying to improve myself and I have come a long way from that day - a day I will never forget. I also found out that I had a hole in my heart which contributed to the stroke. I had to undergo open heart surgery to correct the problem.
The experience left me with a condition broadly known as “Aphasia” which is a language disorder that results from damage to portions of the brain that are responsible for language. This has left me having difficulty in expressing myself when speaking, trouble understanding speech at times, and difficulty with reading and writing. Also, sometimes sound becomes overwhelming and I can’t decipher meaningful speech from noise. If noise lasts too long my auditory system overloads. This can happen anytime at parties, social gatherings, grocery shopping, or any situation involving many people and distractive enviromments increase the likelihood.
My professional work life on this day was ended. I simply was unable to deal with the distractions, working every day, and the stresses which are a part of normal working environments. My step-father, Gord DeVries offered me the opportunity to purchase his online business, which he had started 3 years prior. He had morphed his business “The Stringman” into “The Pick Shoppe” when he and my mother decided to semi-retire. The beauty of it is that I’m able to handle incoming orders, packaging and shipping all within the confines of my own home office. *No distractions* Aphasia does not affect my intelligence. I’m easily capable of monitoring stock levels, generating purchase orders as necessary and in general, all other aspects of running a small business on my own time.
I feel by running this business I am testing my skills, sometimes I fail and sometimes it gives me hope that I will fully recover from this tragic event. “The Pick Shoppe” offers solutions for every type of acoustic instrument and every level of player. I’ve learned a lot in the past few years. I never knew (before now), how important a piece of technology the humble guitar pick is, or the innovation required to produce solutions for folks who play finger style instruments or wish to use thumbpicks.
Please email me at carol.boyer@thepickshoppe.com or call 519-878-6062.
