By Aurora Sutherland
Walter and Sandra Moses lived in Maple Ridge for many years and wanted to recapture the small town feeling that it used to have, so they moved to Courtenay, BC, on Vancouver Island. Fortunately, when they moved to the Island they had the luxury of being able to take a year off to decide what they wanted to do. At the end of their year Walter began working in metal fabrication in Nanaimo, but quickly understood it wasn’t practical with the 220km commute. They started to consider what they could do locally with his 34 years of experience in the steel industry. Since there was nothing in his field in the North Island where they lived, they decided to investigate starting their own business. Creating a business concept by combining Walter’s experience with Sandra’s background as an employment councillor was simpler than anyone thought. “It was easy to know where to begin since there’s nothing he can’t do with steel,” Sandra explains.
The challenge was determining the direction of the company. “It wasn’t obvious at the start,” said Walter. “Sandra had used CorelDraw and some kitchen layout programs to design various things in the past. So she experimented with an auto-CAD program we had. We were both impressed by what she could do, and it helped us narrow our focus.”
Having decided that they were going to forgo industrial for creative, they had the daunting task of making it happen. One problem with steel is that to get started is expensive. The cost of the tools to work the steel are significant, and the equipment to support them can be even more so. Most people wouldn’t think much about dust and debris, but the dust extraction system alone took six weeks to plan and install. Considering that the average cutlery grinder in the 1800’s – who breathed similar metal dust – only lived to the age of 30, this wasn’t an optional piece of machinery. “Due to the amount of dust generated, and the computer equipment required to control the tools, I knew we had to keep the air free of debris.” He laughed as he thought back, “When the dust extractor finally arrived it looked like a 747 engine.”
It was acquiring all the equipment they needed that caused them to go to TACC. “We were able to get business training and financing from Community Futures - Strathcona,” said Walter. “But when it came to getting the equipment, TACC came forward to help.” Like most people starting out in manufacturing, they found the start-up costs intimidating. They were very pleased to work with TACC to get what they needed.
Both Sandra and Walter are full business partners, each with their own areas of responsibility. Sandra works about 35 hours a week, mostly in the office. She was fortunate in that she was able to create a lot of designs while they were waiting for the shop construction to be completed. This has allowed her to focus on marketing the business, and on custom designs for individual customers. Walter does the steelwork; cutting, unusual patinas, and special finishing. It’s Walter’s vast experience that allows him to works his magic on pieces, such as having metal leaves bring out the shifting colours of fall in changing light.
Walter usually spends more than 40 hours a week in the shop, but this can skyrocket to 17 hours a day when they have deadlines for trade shows. Native art naturally plays a large role in their designs, but there is a great variety. There are countless places their art can be used in addition to wall hanging. Gates for gardens, fire screens for homes, insets for railings, and business signage are just a few places where their work can be found.
Like any new business, one of their biggest challenges was marketing. “Our number one obstacle was getting our name out there,” Sandra recalls. Due to construction delays they launched last October, and as a result all the large art shows were booked. Not willing to lose out on holiday sales, they entered craft fairs, which only drew a very small portion of their target audience.
Sandra spearheads their marketing. She belongs to many networking organizations and is often at two or more events per week such as the HBBA, BNI, Chamber of Commerce, and the Woman’s Business Association. The day we spoke she had a breakfast meeting at 6AM with BNI and another meeting that night. “She is the hardest working person I’ve ever met in my life, and we’ve been married 14 years,” Walter said with awe.
Now they’ve had time to better define their market, and are hitting higher-end art shows, home & garden shows, and organizing a distribution network. “The art show coordinators who’ve seen our work have told us that they want us in their next show. It’s been very encouraging.” Sandra relates. “Now we’re beginning to approach retailers to sell our product. Between that and the catalogue we’re completing, we hope to significantly increase our volume this year.”
Trade shows worked very well for them, but it wasn’t without complications. At one point they worked for seven weeks straight. “The problem with a show every weekend, is that you spend every waking moment in between creating new pieces and filling orders.” said Walter. Then there is the people side of shows. “I used to be a bit abrupt,” joked Walter. “I viewed everything as black or white.” He says that this created challenges when meeting hundreds of people at trade shows, all with different ideas about their company. “Sandra showed me that there are grey areas. Not everyone can be an expert in metal and its many uses. Thirty-four years in one industry is a lifetime for many people. Now that I understand this, I really enjoy showing our beautiful pieces and sharing with people what they can do with them.”
In the end, word of mouth and repeat business have been their best marketing tools. “It’s a good feeling when somebody likes your work enough to come back and purchase more,” said Walter. “That speaks louder than any words of praise.” It isn’t uncommon for someone to buy one piece, and then commission the design of another one, personal to them. “If you can dream it,” said Sandra, “we can make it.”
Another area where Sandra and Walter have made a special effort is in their support of our military troops. Walter was in the military, and both their families have military backgrounds, so they understood the sacrifices and wanted to express their heartfelt thanks to all the women and men that serve our country. As a result, they looked for a way that they could show their support to the Canadian troops serving overseas. Walter described the general idea in his head. In time, Sandra sat down and created a unique design, a Canadian maple tree set in the outline of Canada. Each leaf on the tree has 13 points, one for each province and territory, and they are multi-coloured to represent our multi-cultural country. The trunk of the tree is almost colourless in honour of our fallen heroes. They presented two pieces; one is displayed in The Military Museums in Calgary and the second is installed at Camp Mirage in the United Arab Emirates, the staging base for those going to Afghanistan.
Working so closely together one wonders how have they’ve managed to stay together. Part of their success is because they understand that they also need to relax and get away from the shop. They play golf together and have similar interests in many other areas.
Walter and Sandra have taken something they enjoyed, and turned it into a career. Most people would have been afraid to make such a significant change, but for them, it was never an issue. “It’s been easy doing this because we’re promoting something that we love,” said Sandra.
Walter & Sandra Moses
Ablaze MetalArt & Design
863 - 8th Street
Courtenay BC
Canada
Tel: 250-338-2339
Email:
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www.ablazemetalart.com
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Upcoming Shows
See Walter and Sandra Moses at the Ablaze Metal Art booth at:
August 4-6 – Comox, Nautical Days
Sept 21-23 – Qualicum-Parksville, Fall Home Show 2007
Sept 28-30 – Victoria Fall Home Show 2007
Oct 12-14 – Nanaimo Fall Home Show 2007
Oct 19-21 – Comox Valley Fall Home Show 2007
Oct 26-28 – Campbell River Fall Home Show 2007 |
