Christchurch Brothers' Toronto Industry

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31096, 27 June 1966, Page 2

Christchurch Brothers ' Toronto Industry

(From

TUI THOMAS,

Women's Editor of “The Press.”)

Paua shell souvenirs, popular hostess gifts to take to friends overseas, are no longer a novelty in Toronto, Canada.

Richard and Mark Wheeler, formerly of Christchurch, are importing and distributing jewellery’, cigarette boxes, vases, condiment sets and bookends as fast as they can air-freight them from New Zealand.

Their market is growing in Canada and they are now beginning to sell in the United States.

Their flourishing business began by chance, after Mark Wheeler received a pair of paua cuff links and a kiwi tie tack from his parents for Christmas, 1963. He had then been in Toronto for six weeks and could not find a job. “I was feeling pretty despondent,” he said recently. “I had graduated in law from the University of Canterbury the year before, but I found I could not practise in Canada without another three and a half years’ university study here. I could not afford it” The cuff links were admired wherever he went Men asked

if they could buy some for themselves and business clients.

“So we decided to try importing them to sell and wrote to New Zealand manufacturers for a small order to test the market,” he said. “Only one manufacturer replied at the time and we sent for about 100 assorted paua items.”

When the samples arrived Richard Wheeler, who knew nothing about salesmanship, took a week’s holiday from his insurance job in Toronto and set off with his bag and order book.

“The paua stuff sold itself,” he said. “In that one week we got between 600 and 800 dollars’ worth of orders and we could not even guarantee delivery date. We felt like millionaires.” He left insurance and went into paua selling full-time. The next step in their promotion campaign was to get a booth in the Canadian National Gift Show. Their small exhibit was only one among 300, but some 4000 retailers from one side of Canada to the other saw it, and the brothers gained 50 new accounts.

Then everything seemed to go wrong. Import duty and taxes were higher than they expected; Canadian marketing regulations were complicated. AU the jewellery had to be specially mounted and giftboxing to suit Canadian demands became a costly problem.

They worked from their small apartment, where order papers and delivery boxes covered the floors, the furniture and began climbing up the walls. They lived from hand to mouth. NO RELAXATION

“We worked, ate, drank and slept among paua. We nearly killed ourselves.” Richard said. “We were too busy to even go out for a bit of relaxation at the week-ends away from the worry of it all. I would not want to go through the growing pains of this business again.” Importing and marketing wrinkles are now ironed out and the situation looks very promising. Nevertheless, they still have anxieties. Sometimes their orders are broken in

transit. Only eight of 30 pieces ordered recently for a jewellers’ display arrived intact

Early last year the brothers took in a Canadian partner with selling experience, Mr Ron Snyder. Their business is now set up in Mr Snyder’s house ait 524 Balliol street Paua shell products are more costly in Toronto than in New Zealand. Richard Wheeler, who visited Christchurch last Christmas, said Toronto retail prices were about one-third higher “on an over-all direct exchange basis and taking into consideration the relative purchasing power of the Canadian and New Zealand consumer.” Canadian jewellers comment very favourably on the high standard of workmanship in the paua goods from Ataahua, New Zealand. Customers like the quality of the silver mountings. “But they don’t like cleaning silver, so we have to see it has a lasting lacquer on it and that has been a problem.” Mark Wheeler said. Their latest line is polished chip paua set under glass, which looks like opal. They also carry pebble and Serpentine jewellery from Cornwall. Greenstone, they find, does not compete economically with Arizona and British Columbian jade. They were sorry to give up greenstone, not entirely for business reasons. Sentiment comes into it, for Richard and Mark Wheeler were brought up in Hokitika.