HAMMERS, HARD HATS AND A PASSION FOR ROCK

or The Evolution of a Broadstone Business

I am sure we can all remember those family occasions when, as a young child, a well meaning aunt or uncle would ask "what do you want to do when you grow up?" For most of us I am sure the answer would have been rather stereotypical: a train driver; an airline pilot, a nurse. . .or as in my case, "I don't know". Even at university I had little idea of what I wanted to do for a living. I was enjoying my football and cricket too much to give a career any serious thought. In the end I "did" an extra year, qualified as a teacher, and entered my first teaching post at a top boys' grammar school. As a geography teacher I was able to nurture a growing passion for things geological though my hobby took second place to a young family. Even after moving to Dorset, a geologist's paradise, I had no aspirations to change my career or develop a business. Never had I for one moment thought of donning a hard-hat and sledge hammering large boulders to bits for a living even though it was an excellent way to relax. In fact I stayed in teaching for 28 years before deciding to take early retirement in 1997.

What triggered this decision? It was certainly not a mid-life crisis; rather it was a matter of cumulative causation following a chance telephone call some 10 years earlier. Would I be willing to put on a small display of minerals and rocks for the opening of a new craft centre? Because the plea came from a friend I willingly agreed. Looking back on that display it is difficult to see how it could have spawned an international business. It covered no more than three square feet in one corner of a partially converted bullpen, and included a few self-collected specimens as well as a number of borrowed items that I could sell if I wished. There was no capital investment, no business plan and no intention of giving up teaching. During the week there was no one looking after the display so if people wanted to buy anything they simply took the item and put the money in ajar in the tea-room. It became clear very quickly that there was a demand for minerals, crystals and related products. And so "Broadstone Minerals" was born.

Over the next 5 years expansion was rapid and staff had to be employed as we first moved into half a unit and then a whole unit at the Courtyard Craft Centre. We became more ambitious as we looked for larger premises. In July 1993, "Gemini Rock Shop" opened in the Old Town where it continues to underpin a business that has to adapt to rapidly changing consumer habits. National and International exhibitions mean considerable travelling and time away from home but to enjoy the carnival atmosphere at Sainte Marie-aux Mines, a 16th Century mining town in the middle of the Vosges Mountains, and conveniently located for the Alsace vineyards, is an added bonus. So too is the opportunity to prospect for mineral specimens in more exotic locations In 2000 I was able to search for more unusual minerals in the lava flows of the Deccan Plateau, India, whilst in 2001 I spent some time exploring more remote areas of Namibia. There has been some mention of the copper deposits in the Chilean Andes next!

We hear a lot today about the Internet. It is certainly a phenomenal source of information, but it is also a major business opportunity. The website: www.broadstoneminerals.com is able to reach a worldwide market for 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. The business is never closed. Why the name "Broadstone Minerals"? There are certainly no minerals in Broadstone. It's just that Annette and I have lived very happily in Broadstone for over 25 years.

Mike Brooke

Archive Winter 2002 | next

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