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"High grades in the middle of nowhere"

It has been almost two years since one of America's foremost carvers emigrated to France to run a combined pipe shop and workshop in Brittany. In the picturesque village of Herbignac, Trever Talbert's imagination continues to run wild. Last year's batch of Halloween Pipes proved that his creativity has survived the onslaught of self-imposed change.

After all, frequent distractions by reality have not all been grueling. As Trever tells Pfeifenbox in this interview, the move has involved struggles with bureaucracy and finances. But not only have he and his wife Emily discovered a whole new (French) way of celebrating Halloween - their favourite feast. Their presence in France has also boosted European awareness of the Talbert brand.

Have two years in Europe affected your carving in any way? For example, do you have better access to premium briar or more contact with colleagues?

TT: Yes, living here has affected my work in a number of ways. A lot of them have been strictly practical for these first years, as I've had less time to work because of all the red tape and the mountain of urgent things to do - dealing with a foreign culture and language, plus remodelling a house. So, output has been down for a while, though we've also had a recession, so maybe that's just as well. I do have much better access to good briar and materials here, however. It's a wonderful thing to be able to pick up the phone and call a supplier and have what I need in two days instead of having to deal with huge transatlantic bulk shipments. In that respect, everything involved in getting quality raw materials is easier. Contact with colleagues is about the same - there were no other pipe makers living near us in the US and there isn't anyone close by here either, so the bulk of my 'fraternal socializing' is done by email and phone.

How has the switch from fulltime carving to a combination of pipe making and shop keeping changed your life? Has output decreased greatly? How helpful, on the other hand, has closer customer contact been?

TT: Well, it's obviously cut into the pipe-making time a little bit, but not by much - certainly not as much as other activities have, like wrestling the French bureaucracy. Our shop is a bit unusual in that it's a high grade pipe shop out in the middle of nowhere, when ordinarily shops that sell a high-end product need to be in populated cities in order to have good business. For us, however, our business began and still runs primarily on the internet, with the retail shop as a minor part of that. We don't advertise the retail shop nor really promote its location around here, mainly because I don't really want a lot of walk-in business. If the doorbell started ringing all day long, I wouldn't get anything done. Instead, it's the sort of shop I prefer it to be - a nice quiet place with comfortable chairs where friends can come and have a relaxed smoke and visit, almost more of a little private club than a place where shoppers are coming and going constantly.

Responding to the part about customer contact, I wouldn't say it's been really helpful, but it has been a lot of fun. Our shop business is split perfectly down the middle between the year-round local business (looking for lacquered, putty-filled factory pipes for under 60 euros) and the 'special visit' collectors - folks making a vacation or buying trip here from all around Europe. Both groups are really enjoyable to talk to and it's nice to occasionally be able to socialize with pipe people. When you don't have a retail presence, you miss out on that and it can begin to feel like one is existing in a vacuum.

It seems ironic that a high-grader like yourself should choose France as his place of abode - after all, French smokers are generally thought to be fairly indifferent to expensive pipes.

TT: That's true overall, though there are more high-end collectors now, and there is a growing interest in the artisan market. As I mentioned above, however, the majority of our visitors have never even seen a pipe over 100 euros, and only know the popular French factory brands. I can't say if this is a feature of the smokers themselves or the fault of the factories and clubs, since it seems there has been little effort made to educate the buyers in the full range of pipe quality and craftsmanship available worldwide. I don't try and judge it - we just make sure to stock plenty of Ropps and Big Bens and other affordable pipes, and keep those high grades out there to catch the eye... then, every so often, someone will want to learn more about them.

How about sales in the rest of the EU? Do you think Europeans are more aware of your work than they were three years ago?

TT: EU sales have been great for us. They started out very slowly, but have built steadily, and now EU buyers are a significant part of our business. They do seem to be much more aware of who we are now that we live here, for whatever reason. I'm actually very happy with this slow rate of acceptance because that's the sort of 'promotion' that I like - good word of mouth and good products that gradually net more and more regular buyers. It's very different in the US, where often new names are tagged 'hot', and everyone wants to buy pipes from them for a year or so until the next 'hot' name comes along and then all the business dries up. I think this phenomenon trips up some new carvers as they try to go professional, because it can be a difficult and rocky transition from 'pipe maker of the moment' to 'established name and established reputation'.

One of your goals in setting up a shop in Brittany was to promote the work of other American carvers. How successful have you been up to now?

TT: Not nearly as much as I would have liked, but that's strictly a money problem; namely, that we haven't had any. I had hoped to be able to buy a number of pipes from various US artisans and promote them in our shop, on our website, and at EU shows, but we just haven't had the spare cash to invest in it. We've made some headway with pipes by my friend Mark Tinsky, but we haven't been able to have the wider selection that I want... yet!

Finally, a question on your recent pipes: You seem to be blasting an even higher proportion than in the past. Is this by choice?

TT: I'm not really aware of any change, though I do admit that I've grown to love blasting very much, and will blast a pipe if it presents any sort of excuse to do so. I just find it a lot more enjoyable than sanding, and a pipe has to be really exceptional for me to make a smooth.

http://www.talbertpipes.com/

(January 21, 2004)

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