Thor's fight to recycle
It all started when young furniture maker Thor Diesendorf saw how much amazing Australian hardwood from demolition sites was going to waste.
Thor hit the nail on the head. Why not recycle this precious timber instead of tossing into landfill? And so it was that Thor’s Hammer was born.
That was in 1994. It was a bold move given there was nothing else like it in the region, but Thor was driven by sheer determination, and his conviction that discarded timber deserved a second lease on life.
The business opened at the historic Brickworks in Yarralumla. It was a perfect fit—affordable, plenty of storage and working space and the right fit for the business ethos. ‘Our customers loved visiting and seeing the old kilns and factory spaces,’ says Thor.
Thor’s Hammer grew and grew and grew. But like all successful business owners, Thor has faced challenges. The lessons he has learned are valuable for those starting a business or facing major change in business.
‘The biggest challenge was having to move from the Brickworks after 24 years,’ says Thor. ‘We knew it would happen at one point because we’d seen development proposals for the site from the late 90s.’
Thor decided to get on the front foot. After positive meetings with government, Thor joined with another Brickworks’ tenant, three architects and a developer and submitted a development proposal for the Brickworks. It didn’t work. The government put the site out to tender and eventually the letter arrived telling Thor to move.
‘It was a tough day,’ says Thor. ‘My biggest fear was not finding another site and having to shut shop.’
Photos by Rohan Thomson
Thor’s resilience and courage kicked in—two essential leadership qualities for business owners. Thor dug deep, relying on sheer determination and a positive outlook to push through.
‘As a business owner, you need to back yourself,’ says Thor. ‘You need to explore all options and you need to build a great team to be behind you all the way.’
Benefitting from lessons learned is key, says Thor: ‘Even though our development proposal didn’t seem successful, it was. We made great contacts in government and the community who were helpful through our journey.’
Another business lesson Thor learned is to assess each situation for what it is and operate in that context.
‘Finding a new site with the right amount of space wasn’t going to be easy,’ says Thor. ‘Recycling timber operations means carrying a huge amount of stock. We have to take demolition timbers when they become available, say when an old factory or bridge is demolished. We also need heavy-duty machinery to work with the density of Australian hardwood.’
Thor developed a strategy to suss out every angle.
‘We kept our community informed through mail outs, social media and our website,’ says Thor. ‘We received heaps of positive feedback, which was a big motivator.’
The Thor’s Hammer story was covered in Canberra media and Thor approached real estate agents in Canberra, Queanbeyan and further afield. ‘I didn’t want to leave the ACT, but it was smart business to think laterally,’ says Thor. ‘It was also smart to tap into other experts for their insights.’
‘We received interesting offers and ideas for new sites and entered into discussions with some developers,’ says Thor. ‘It took time and energy and was hard when discussions didn’t lead to anything.’
Without a new home, Thor approached government to extend his Brickworks business license. ‘It was stressful and difficult, but I couldn’t give up,’ says Thor. ‘I breathed a sigh of relief when we received an extension.’
Photos by Rohan Thomson
In early 2018, Aaron Bruce from Colliers suggested the old Tip Top factory in Mildura Street, near the Fyshwick Markets. It was still full of the old bakery machinery and needing major repairs, but Thor saw potential.
Once more he leaned on experts, this time engaging Tomi Cavic from BuildCo as builder who provided excellent advice through negotiation and design processes.
While finding a new site was a relief, the fight wasn’t over. ‘We ran up against many unforeseen issues in dealing with an old building,’ says Thor. ‘And it took major effort to negotiate positive outcomes between the landlord, their builder, our builder and ourselves.’.
Planning and implementing the move in minute detail was critical. ‘We staged the move to keep the business running,’ says Thor. ‘It took three months with the team working sometimes seven days a week, but we kept the business operating with only a small dip in turnover.’
Seizing every opportunity to showcase talent and expertise is also something Thor shares with business owners. ‘Our joinery team has made all the doors, cabinets and furniture for the fit out of the new site, which not only reduced our costs, but it showcases our own work,’ says Thor.
The last stage was cleaning up and saying goodbye to the Brickworks.
‘It was sad to leave, but business owners need to and move forward when needed,’ says Thor. ‘In the end it was exciting to refurbish Tip Top and bring the site back to life. We love being here.’