Valuable memories and special moments deserve to be recorded and preserved in a unique and beautiful way. And thanks to Simon and Belinda Dart, makers of hand-bound treasures, the opportunity is available to do just that.Located in the historic gold-mining city of Bendigo, Central Victoria, their shop SBLibris, stocks a collection of elegant albums, notebooks and journals.
They create their off-the shelf range and custom made requests using English, Italian and Japanese decorative papers, aged & hand-dyed leather and metallic embossing. They also provide restoration and binding services.
Simon trained as a landscaper before changing vocational direction as a book-binder in Melbourne. In 2002 he & Belinda went overseas for Belinda’s teaching career and a simple urge to travel. A week before leaving for the UK Simon trawled the internet and found Abbey Bookbindery in Surrey, close to where the couple were planning to live.
“They wanted someone with 10 years experience,” says Simon of the ‘pair of hands wanted’ ad posted by the bookbindery, which was formerly run by monks. “I responded saying I only had four and they said ‘come and see us when you get here’. So I did and it all fell into place.”
For the next two years Simon developed & honed his craft.
“The sort of work we were doing was so diverse. I was poring over how old some of the books were but the rest of the binders didn’t blink. We don’t have a concept of those sorts of ages in Australia.”
Amongst the treasures he restored during his time in Surrey was a seventeenth century Dutch bible. Binding limited edition collectors’ items, such as the deluxe version of Nelson Mandela’s autobiography and signed music band histories, worth up to $AU10 000, were also highlights.
Toward the end of their time overseas Simon and Belinda started to contemplate their future and discussed starting their own business. During a six week trip to the Europe they kept re-visiting shops that inspired them (particularly in Italy), that sealed their desire to create something similar.
Returning to Australia they settled in Belinda’s home town and opened SB Libris in April 2005.
“We knew there weren’t any bookbinders here,” says Simon of the decision to set-up shop in a regional area, “We could see the place had an appeal from a lifestyle point of view and it’s certainly a town that’s popular with visitors.”
Located in Bendigo’s arts precinct, the renowned art gallery and stately performing arts centre are just across the road. SBLibris shares an area with antique shops, boutiques and cafes. Locals have been quick to take advantage of Simon’s skills and the most unusual request he’s received has been from a resident with an antique music box that needed restoring. Simon took it on trusting that he would adapt the sewing, precision gluing, trimming, collating and dyeing skills learnt as a bookbinder.
All the equipment Simon uses is pre-loved and with histories of their own, including the guillotine bearing a US patent stamp and the laying press that Simon thinks might have originated in a shipping yard. (The press is a conversation piece: Simon jokes that once the press is retired he’d like to take it home and use it as a coffee table.) Amazingly, Simon located everything he needed locally by looking in the newspaper classifieds.
Simon and Belinda admit that there’s so much more to think about and learn in terms of running a business then they’d imagined but they’re excited about their future.
“Our main passion is creating the hand-made range,” says Simon, “We’ve got so many ideas!”
Recently the pair added imported quality pens and stationery to compliment the range as well as drawing upon the skills of a local calligrapher for those extra personal touches. There are plans for items such as address books, as well as using Indian and Australian decorative papers.
All in all it’s foreword bound for this early-thirties couple who have not only had the brave notion to persue their dreams but the courage to follow through.
This article was first published under the title Bendigo Bound in Australian Country Style, October 2006
No comments:
Post a Comment