In a studio overlooking Dyes Inlet, Windjammer Arts is a perfect example of a local small business that has a worldwide presence through the World Wide Web. Started in 1994 by retired Naval Captain George Bieda and his wife Esther, their business has grown from a part-time endeavor to a full time profitable business with international customers.

Windjammer Arts produces high quality line drawing, colored profile prints and custom oil painting of ships and aircraft. The Biedas frame and ship some of the drawings from their Silverdale studio. The rest are sent via the Internet to other military art production studios on the east coast. “We couldn’t keep up with the demand,” says Bieda. “By contracting out some of the matting and framing, we not only increased our productivity margin, but we also increased our profits.”

Bieda says the most rewarding part of the business is the thank you cards and notes he receives from his customers. “Usually our customers are purchasing a gift for their father,“ reflects Bieda. “I have numerous emails and cards detailing how the recipient’s eyes light up when opening the gift.” Bieda knows that his customer’s satisfaction is high because he has a less than one percent return rate.

One factor of the business that has surprised Bieda is the typical profile of his clients. “One would think that the client base would be made up of naval retirees,” says Bieda. “It’s not. The typical client is the son or daughter of someone who served less than 10 years in the military, looking to get their father a special memento.” Being in a “Navy town”, with all the retirements that go on in the area, one would think that Windjammer Arts would have lots of business from that sector. “Surprisingly, the number of prints we sell for someone’s retirement ceremony is rather small,” reported Bieda. “Apparently most retirees don’t think about getting a drawing of their ships until much later in life.” That is OK with Bieda. “That just means I will always have a market,” reflects Bieda.

Bieda joined the Kitsap Regional Economic Development Council’s Business Retention and Expansion Program to decide the best way to expand his business. “There is a large untapped market for our product,” Bieda said. “But I’m not certain if want to deal with all the personnel issues you end up dealing with when you hire additional employees.”

Currently Bieda sells his art through three major military art websites and his own website. This “loose association” as Bieda terms the arrangement has led to increased sales. The problem is that the “loose association” doesn’t solve the production issues raised with an increasing number of sales. “If a sales request comes in for a ship already existing in my catalog then that’s a relatively easy order to fill,” says Bieda. “However, because we will make a print of any ship during any time period a new request can take six to eight hours to produce.” Bieda realizes that he is limited in the number of prints that he himself can produce. He figures he can either hire someone on to help with the production or he can just accept the fact that he will be limited in production.

To date, Bieda hasn’t made a decision on his expansion plans.

Bieda is heavily involved with the local Navy community. A member of both the Bremerton Historic Ships Association and the Bremerton Naval Museum Board of Directors, Bieda works hard to keep the community and the Navy closely linked. Bieda donates drawings and prints to the annual Dolphin Scholarship Fund Drive. He donates all the seconds, those prints with slight imperfections that he won’t sell to clients, to the Bremerton Naval Museum. The museum then sells them at a discount.

Bieda is excited about the revitalization of downtown Bremerton. He previously belonged to one of the downtown art associations, but dropped out because there weren’t that many people who visited downtown. “It is hard to spend an afternoon in a place and not get any leads,” Bieda said. He is hopeful that the plans for a pedestrian centered downtown will generate an atmosphere where artists can mature and thrive.

Windjammer Arts, Inc.
9092 Washington Ave, Studio 7
Silverdale 98383
(360) 613-5787
www.windjammer-arts.com