The Citizen, 1986-12-10, Page 8PAGE 8. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1986.
Bruce Falconer has turned his longtime interest in canoes into a new
business as he builds cedar-strip canoes at his new home near
Goderich. He gave up his construction business in Blyth last year.
Former Blyth residents
open shop near Goderich
BY KEITH ROULSTON
There are those who say life
begins at 40 and those who say life
begins when the kids grow up and
the dog dies but for a long-time
Blyth couple, a new life started
whenthey wereabletotake up a
project that has interested them for
a long time.
Bruce and Gail Falconer, now
living near Goderich on Sunset
Beach road (County road 25 west of
Highway 21) recently opened a
new business The Falcons Nest
that’s giving them a new start with
old interests.
It was kind of scary, Gail says, in
giving up her job of 12 years with
the Canadian Imperial Bank of
Commerce first with the Auburn
branch and then in Goderich after
the Auburn branch closed. But she’
felt she had progressed about as far
as she could at the bank and was
looking for new challenges.
“Thisis relaxing. Woodworking
to me is a real joy, especially
coming up with a new design. ’ ’ She
enjoys sitting down, figuring out a
pattern and then building the item
that someone has asked her to
make.
For Bruce the change in lifestyle
was not so much a matter of choice.
After undergoing surgery last year
he was warned by his doctor not to
undertake any heavy lifting again
and so his construction business of
many years in the Blyth area
ended.
Although they have lived in
Blyth while their children were
growing up the Falconers are
dedicated country people and once
the children were gone they started
looking for a small acreage and
eventually found what they wanted
near Goderich.
In a converted shed out back
they’ve built The Falcons Nest
which includes a small bright shop
outfrontfilledwith hand-made
Gail Falconer discovered the joy of woodworking this summer after 12
years of working in a bank. Now she fills the shop at Falcons Nest with
her work.
wooden toys and decorations.
Most of the items are made by Gail
who, although she lived around
wood for many years with Bruce’s
business, really only took up
woodworking herself last summer.
It’s something she’s always want-
edtodo, she says, but while she
was working she didn’t have time.
The shop also carries decorative
glass made by Roselyn Cook of
Blyth.
For Bruce, a long time hobby has
become a business. An avid
canoer, he built a cedar strip canoe
forhimself 10 years ago. Since then
he’s made quite a number, often
building them for himself but
having someone come along and
offer to buy it.
Both of them work in a large
workshop out back where Bruce
builds his canoes and Gail con
structs her various toys and other
items. They have also started to get
a lot of people coming to them
asking them to do custom wood
working.
As a lover and user of wood,
Bruce has been building up a stock
of hardwoods such as cherry and
oak, maple and white ash that he
makes available to other wood
crafters.
After working apart for so many
years it’s a new experience for the
couple working side by side and
they like it.
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