Download The Keith Beedie Story - Beedie Group

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THE KEITH
BEEDIE STORY
One of the bookcases Keith
and his partner Fred Banbury
were building in 1945.
PART 1: LAYING THE FOUNDATION
CHAPTER 4: SETTING UP SHOP
“Th e cash surrender value was only a couple of hundred dollars, but it
was exactly what I needed to buy 50 percent of Fred’s shop.” It would
turn out to be a very good investment.
Keith joined Fred in the basement workshop on Howe Street in
downtown Vancouver and they started producing the dancing dollies
as quickly as they could. “We did that for a few weeks,” recalls Keith.
“Th en Christmas came and it was all over. We did okay, though.” It
was a humble beginning for a business empire, but one that Keith
remembers fondly. “I’ve liked dancing dollies ever since.”
The workshop wasnʼt limited to producing
toys. Keith and Fred took whatever
commissions they could fi nd and soon their
small operation was overwhelmed.
EVERY PROBLEM HAS A SOLUTION
We make a living by what we get,
but we make a life by what we give.
—WINSTON CHURCHILL
One of the biggest problems the partners faced was obtaining the materials they
needed to do their work. Directly above them was a company that produced mantle
radios. When they asked Keith and Fred if they could make some radio cabinets the
boys were keen, but they weren’t sure where they could fi nd the material required for
the job. The partners put their heads together. “They wanted them made out of walnut,”
recalls Keith, “but the price of the walnut plywood we looked at was ludicrous.”
Aft er trying to source materials, Keith and Fred quickly realized that
they would have to get creative to fi nd aff ordable wood. “A single sheet
of walnut would have cost us more than we would get for the fi nished
product,” Keith says. Working like that, they wouldn’t be in business
for long. Keith hit on the idea of approaching furniture producers
to see if they had any wood scraps for purchase. Th e fi rst place they
decided to ask was Hammond Furniture, whose factory was located
at the corner of Clark and Venables. Without much beyond the kernel
of an idea, and because both of their cars were broken down, the two
headed out on the streetcar to talk to someone at Hammond.
Neither Keith nor Fred had discussed how they were going to proceed
once they reached the factory. “When we walked in the front doors,
there was a woman sitting at a counter with a typewriter in front
of her,” says Keith. “Well, we didn’t really know what to say, so we
just explained very quickly what we needed. She off ered a quick
‘no,’ insisting that the business didn’t supply materials.” To the two
inexperienced entrepreneurs, her response seemed defi nitive. Th ey
weren’t sure who the woman was, or on what authority she had turned
them down. Th ey also had no idea what their next move would be.
Within a minute of walking through the door, they were turning
around to leave. Th at should have been the end of the story. Instead,
they were about to meet the man who would have the single greatest
infl uence on Keith’s business future.
As they headed out of the factory, an offi ce door behind the woman
opened. Wally Hammond himself strode out and clapped the boys on
their shoulders. “He asked us why we were there,” says Keith. “When
Fred Banbury at the
entrance of their Marpole
workshop, 1946.
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