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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1991-01-16, Page 5Times -Advocate, Jam ry ter 1991 Page 5 Varna couple find future in antique restoration By Ray Lewis VARNA - Buried in the depths of nearly ' everyone's attic hide treasures of the past, 1 long ago forgot- ten or consid- ered of no use to the styles and tastes of today. Nestled in the community of Varna, lies a small business which welcomes those artifacts. Willis and Joanne Walper have taken a serious interest in the fin- ishing of wood products. Their re- lationship with fine furniture be- gan while they operated a farm in Dashwood. Willis had always been interested in carpentry and renovation, and his tastes devel- oped to include furniture. At the same time, Joanne became inter- ested in various projects and de- cided to enroll in a course offered by Fanshawe College. The Walpers eventually left farming. Willis began to enjoy working with furniture, but living on the farm hindered his exposure. At the time, the couple was busy finishing various pieces and sell- ing them elsewhere. Joanne and Willis moved to Bayfield in order to get their work into the open. By this time, Joanne's interest had taken firm hold and she saw the need to set up shop in proper form. Unfortunately, zoning tech- nicalities forced the Walpers to ex- plore other locations, but the couple didn't want to jump who''-e- heartedly into business without first feeling out the market.. Ry chance, they stumbled upon a building for sale in Varna and Walper's Finishing began opera- tions there in August of last year. It is a perfect partnership with Willis as master of repairs and Joanne looking after the 'lacquers and glazes. "We've been quite pleased at the response we've received from local people," states Joanne. "The sup- port has been wonderful." And indeed it has. The commu- nity has adopted the business as its own. Finishing furniture has be- come mom than a business for the Walpers; it borders on passion. Many members of the area seem to share that mystique. People see the duo at work on a particular piece and they can't wait until it is fin- ished. The public seems to get al- most as anxious as the owners. It's almost contagious. "But we get excited too," says Joanne. "You consider it your art and it pleases you that others show such a keen interest." Much of the excitement is gener- ated tsy the character of the particu- lar piece. In days gone by, crafts- men put pride into their work, but today things have changed. Be- cause industry has attempted to make furniture more affordable, most is now made out of particle board on the assembly line. Al- though it looks nice, it lacks the quality and care. Willis notes that the Canadian furniture market is shrinking and unfortunately its American counter- part, in most instances, lacks the quality. The veneer is especially vulnerable. It is considerably thin- ner and easily scratched. The Canadian Woodworkers As- sociation tried to get a goveming rule on the thickness of veneer to prevent shoddy workmanship, but at the moment, nothing has changed. The Walpers note that humidity is also a problem with today's furni- ture. Many have come into the shop with the finish gone on fairly recent pieces. Not only is it dam- aged, but it is difficult to repair. Sometimes home conditions such as polish and cleaning have some- thing to do with it. Joanne uses a catalyzed lacquer called nitrocellulose when workinig on her projects. By doing so it knits the wood together to prevent penetration by certain oils from cleaning products. With fine furni- ture, a lot of times you can get a sil- icone contaminant top. Everything is fine until the furniture is lac- quered and then you get bubbles on the surface. Carbons sometimes dissolve the finish enough for the chemicals to be blocked under- neath. Joanne advises that it is best to familiarize yourself with the types of finish you have in your home before administering chemi- cals. Like the original craftsmen, the Walpers seem 10 place a lot of pride in their work, a characteristic which has definitely increased busi- ness. Even Fanshawe College seems impressed for it is to Varna that they bring their students for a lesson in operating such a business. This year the couple restored fur- niture damaged in a local house fire. It so impressed the insurance company that they offered to bring in loads of other furniture. Willis declined. "In accepting we would have had to decline some of our local busi- ness," says Willis. "I didn't want to do that." In fact, it took the couple six months just to track down all the area business generated by attend- ing Exeter's Home and Garden Show. The restoration of furniture is more than just a hobby or occupa- tion. As Joanne affirms, "It is art". Wok of art - Joanne Walper dis- plays a recently completed china cabinet. •NO rE •ALL INVESTMENTS GUARANTEED £ INRJRED •FUNDS TRANSFERABLE VIA CHARTER RANI CAN find the best GIC 1085% One Ysar Let us shop the market for you Galser-Kneale Exeter Grand Bend Hensaf 235-2420 238-8484 262-2119 7 Things You Should Know About CREDIT UNION Artist at wok - Willis Walper demonstrates his skill while working on a cabinet. His work is good enough that some is sold before it's even finished. County won't change warden election to ballot •GODERICH - The way in which the,Heron County Warden is -cho- sen will remain the same, decided Huron county council last week. Following a lengthy discussion at the first meeting of the new year on Thursday, it was decided that councillors would still stand and announce their votes of support. Tom Cunningham agreed with Wilder, but, along with several oth- er councillors seem to have reserva- tions on which way the election. should be carried out. An Ad Hoc Committee, chaired b)+ Grant Stirling, brought to coun- cil the recommendation that coun- cil conduct the vote by way of a closed ballot. "It's my feeling we should go back to the closed ballot," said Stirling. "All the committee didn't agree," he admitted. Council decided in a one-sided 24-8 vote, not to go to the secret ballot. Hwy. 21 S. Grana Bend 238-6165 At this tear's election held in De- cember, Hensall's Jim Robinson de- feated Marie Hicknell. Immediately following the election, Hicknell told the Times -Advocate that she was a strong supporter of the secret ballot. She did not address the issue on Wednesday. Clerk -treasurer Nigel Belicham- : ber said that`undie the Municipal Act, the election for•coumty warden ' must be conducted by an open bal- lot unless council decides it is closed. Bellchamber also pointed out that the warden isn't really a representa- tive, like a member of parliament, but rather a person who chairs a committee. Elmer D. Bell, Q.C. wishes to announce that effective January 1, 1991 he .has retired from the practice of law except for ongoing matters and that his practice will be continued by Robert J. Deane, g.c. with whim he has been associated for the past ten years. The practice will be carried on under the name of Robert J. Deane, Q.C. 417 Main Street, South Exeter,' Ontario NOM 1S6 235-0440 1) FLEXIBILITY - Within one credit union RRSP contract, you can invest in a variety of options: variable interest rate savings (with drawable,anytime) and fixed-rate terms 011-5 years. 2) COMPETITIVE RATES - Call us for up-to-date interest rates. 3) NO FEES - There are no application or trustee fees, adminis- tration charges or withdrawal penalties (unless you withdraw funds within 90 days of deposit. 4) SECURITY - Every credit union RRSP contract is deposit in- sured to the legislated maximum of $60,000 (You may have as many separate RRSP contracts as you need). 5) COMPETITIVE RATE LOANS - If you do not have enough cash otrhand to make art RRSP deposit this month, ask us about a RRSP Loan. You will probably find that the tax deferral benefits more than cover the borrowing cost. 6) DEADLINE: March 1st, 1991 - This is the last day for RRSP deposits which can be used as deductions from 1990 income. 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