Paul and Diane Wier, basketmakers
by Brenda Ross
Hayracks for rabbits, a heart-shaped basket for releasing doves at a wedding and a trunk for a veteran car ? just some of the more unusual basket-making items produced by Paul and Diane Weir of Bedfordshire, in addition to the large variety in their standard stock. These are strong, well-made baskets in Somerset willow, but the success of the business results not only from the quality product created by Paul's basket-making skills, but also from Diane's supporting products and her marketing awareness.
The basket-making has been a full-time business since 2001 when Paul left the RAF. His interest in the craft began in the mid 1990s as a result of talking to a basketmaker at the Living Crafts event at Hatfield, Hertfordshire. At the time he was working shifts in London for the RAF and needed something to occupy spare time and take his mind off the fact that he had just given up smoking. He found out where to buy willow and learned the basics of basket-making from a book, but recognised that to refine the techniques he needed a professional to teach him.
Joining the Basketmakers' Association led to a one-week class with Sally Goymer, a renowned basket-maker who has studied the craft in France and Switzerland. That was the start Paul needed, and he took further one-week courses through the Basketmakers' Association to learn other techniques from different tutors. The last of these courses, in 2000, was part of his resettlement, an RAF package to enable personnel to train for other jobs prior to leaving.
Paul decided to try basket-making as a business when he retired from the RAF in 2001 after more than 36 years' service. He had been working up to it for a few years, first selling baskets at small local events in 1996. To help take money on the stand Diane was making small, cheaper items that were popular at the time, such as garters, tissue holders, hair scrunchies and pot pourri. The turning point came when Paul started demonstrating on the stand. 'When the public see a basket they don't relate it to British made,' says Diane. 'They expect it to be imported, so demonstrating attracts attention.' Each of their baskets has a Union Jack label indicating that it is made from Somerset willow, to reinforce the message.
The first larger craft fair they tried, at Woburn Abbey, was 'a stormer' says Paul, so others followed. From doing 5 or 6 craft shows a year when Paul was in the RAF, they increased to 10 or 11 when the business became full time, but they have since cut back and in 2005 will exhibit at five shows. 'We are getting plenty of work besides the shows,' they say, 'and the shows can be expensive. We want to get more work coming in to us, rather than going out to get it, partly because of the expense but also so we can have more social life, because the shows involve weekends.'
'But we would get out of touch if we stopped shows altogether,' adds Paul. 'You have to keep your name out there.'
Diane's involvement in the business was initially a supporting role, going to the shows and making peripheral items like flower supports and wigwams to sell, as she had her own job. Then she stumbled on a new line that is still very successful: 'One day I got bored at a show and started twisting pieces of willow. I twisted five willows round a stick to curl them and put them in a bottle to decorate the stand ? and people wanted to buy them.'
'Wriggly willow' or 'twisted willow' as it is known, became a popular seller that Diane now produces in three sizes and five colours. Also popular are bundles of willow, up to six feet high, as a decorative feature in a conservatory or corner of a room. 'I just trim the ends and tie a rope round the bundle near the bottom,' says Diane. 'I don't have to do much to them, they make something else to sell, and they add interest to the stand.'
When the company Diane worked for closed down she decided to work for herself. As well as producing her own complementary items for the stand, she developed the marketing, never missing an opportunity to find a new area.
'I thought, if I don't want to work for other people, I have to focus on our own business.' She went to garden centres, shops and florists and did mail-outs, to sell the twisted willow and willow bundles. Garden centres and shops proved difficult, as they have for the baskets, because they take imported products at very cheap prices. Advertising basket-making in the local paper produced nothing, but a listing in Yellow Pages has proved worthwhile because it brings in enquiries through the internet version, yell.com. A mail-shot to companies making bespoke kitchens has led to orders for freestanding baskets and basket drawers that fit into units or frames. That now makes up one-third of their business, with one-third from shows and another third from commissions. Diane sent a letter to animal centres and veterinary practices, asking for a card about their pet products to be put on a noticeboard. That has produced results not only for pet baskets but also enquiries for other products.
Talks and basket-making demonstrations at Women's Institute meetings prove worthwhile. 'People do not always buy at the time, but they take price lists and come back later,' says Paul. This idea has also spread to other clubs, such as wine lovers, spinners and weavers and flower arrangers, often by recommendation from one to the other. 'These people are the right audience for our products,' says Diane, 'and are very interested to see basket-making.'
Paul and Diane have also made the most of any passing trade at home. When buying their house a few years before Paul's retirement from the RAF, they looked for somewhere suitable for running a business. They have extended the garage to make a workshop, and when Paul works with the door open and baskets arranged outside on the driveway, passers-by are attracted in. Although their village of Stanbridge, near Leighton Buzzard, appears quiet, there is passing traffic and ramblers walk past to nearby footpaths. An A-board at the gateway proclaiming 'Basket-maker' helps attract the attention of anyone approaching down the road.
Their most popular line is diamond weave wastepaper baskets, with linen baskets (three types), trugs, log baskets and shopping baskets also good sellers. The regular stock also includes pet carriers, bicycle baskets, hampers and magazine racks, dog and cat baskets, trays and children's chairs. For dolls cradles Diane will make a mattress and bedding, and she can add a lining to baby cribs, if wanted.
Paul likes to keep traditional basketware items going, like fishing baskets and creels, eel traps and duck nesters: 'I may only sell a few in a year, but they create interest on the stand at shows; they are a conversation piece, and they can be used for other things.' He also repairs old baskets and makes new versions.
Commissions increase the variety, such as a round birdcage and a heart-shaped basket for releasing doves at a wedding. Such requests can involve considerable planning to work out the shape, design and method of working. The camaraderie among basket-makers helps. 'If I get a request for something unusual,' says Paul, 'I can ring other basket-makers to see if they have made one, and they will share their experience. I do the same for them.'
'One-offs are a challenge,' he adds, 'but they can lead to other orders through word of mouth.' He keeps 'recipes' of materials used and time taken for each commission, so that if he is asked to make something similar in the future he can cost it more easily. He has been asked to make Roman shields for battle re-enactment societies, a period basket for Shepperton Studios for the BBC drama He Knew He Was Right, a trunk for the back of a 1914 Bugatti and for a Rolls Royce, a canopy for a patio heater, that doubled as a sunshade, a woven 'lining' for the inside of wrought iron gates, and a wicker man for a customised coffin company to use for display. Working out how to make hayracks for rabbits led to a regular order of 50 a year for a company in Wales.
'When we are out and about we are always on the lookout for new ideas,' says Paul. 'If I am in a shop and see a basket, I always have a look to see how it was made.' They maintain contacts in other branches of the craft, too. A cane supplier and a cane furniture maker will pass on customer enquiries about baskets, and Paul and Diane reciprocate. Diane is always on the lookout for new customers. For example, looking through a copy of Country Life found in a pub, she saw an advert for another bespoke kitchen company ? and they have become customers as a result of her approach.
'We are also fortunate with what has become popular in recent years,' says Diane. 'Programmes like Ground Force introduced wigwams and flower supports to people, and more recently living sculptures and bundles have made willow popular.' Well-made products and shrewd marketing have also made the most of it.
Paul and Diane Weir
22 Tilsworth Road
Stanbridge
Leighton Buzzard LU7 9JA
T: 01525 210834
