Taplin-Weir Inc.
Tucked in among the trees in Tidnish, Cumberland County, sits what looks like a pretty two-story house. It is really home to the head office and manufacturing centre for an international clarinet-maker - thanks to a high-speed Internet connection.
The owner, John Weir, says he could do his job anywhere. And he has. He began designing, restoring, and repairing clarinets and other woodwind instruments in Toronto in the early 1980s. In 1996, he took a job in the United States as director of research and woodwind design. Changes at that company prompted Weir to go into business for himself.
That's when his wife, Patti Goodwin-Weir, a clarinetist with the Charlottetown Festival Orchestra, stumbled across the house on Nova Scotia's Sunrise Trail. The main floor serves as factory, studio, and business office for Taplin-Weir Inc. The couple lives upstairs.
Weir designs the clarinets himself and has the wooden bodies made to his specifications. He makes the key sets from scratch, and mounts and regulates them to each instrument.
Goodwin-Weir plays each instrument to ensure it is perfectly in tune and has a good "voice".
"We need quiet, a good space to work from, and low overhead," says Weir, adding that the business would not be possible without high-speed access to the Internet.
The company's web site, www.taplinweir.com, is its "face to the world." Through it, Taplin-Weir- advertises its products, services, and industry-related events
- offers advice on the care and maintenance of clarinets
- communicates with customers
- offers testimonials from satisfied customers
Clients get in touch with the company through e-mail. All sales and communication with suppliers is done through the Internet as well.
"Because we're a direct-sale business much of our business, all of it almost, depends on eCommerce," says Weir. " Almost all of the orders and the transactions involved in the business are through the laptop, basically."
All raw materials arrive at Taplin-Weir by courier and the finished clarinets go out the same way.
The Weirs put their first clarinets on the market in 2006 and their company has continued to grow ever since.
They now offer a wide selection of clarinets and parts, build custom clarinets, and do repairs.
There are two ways for customers to make sure they are getting the clarinet that is best for them. They can have Taplin-Weir send a clarinet or clarinet parts to try. They do not pay for the instrument at the time - just the shipping, handling, and insurance. They can return the instrument to Taplin-Weir or pay for it and keep it.
The other option is to visit Taplin-Weir's Selection Studio and stay in the couple's guest suite. This is a great opportunity to introduce visitors to the other attractions that Tidnish and the surrounding communities have to offer.
Weir says clients are often surprised at the company's "remote" location but he says it suits him perfectly.
"It makes a lovely situation in terms of working, there's no traffic jam on the way to the bench," he says with a laugh and, with high speed, "it's fairly urban for a rural setting."
