About Cabar Fèidh Bagpipe Supplies

Cabar Fèidh Bagpipe Supplies, located in Inverness, is a one-of-a-kind store that specializes in selling bagpipes and related accessories. From bagpipes, music, books, and drums to clothing items such as hoses, glengarries, and Inverness Headlands, they offer everything a bagpipe enthusiast needs. In addition to selling products, Cabar Fèidh also provides repair services for bagpipes and offers practice chanting. They have recently expanded their services to include making their own practice chanters. As the only pipe supply store in the Highlands, Cabar Fèidh Bagpipe Supplies has carved out a niche market for itself.

The Inspiration Behind the Business

The owner, Brian Yates, was inspired to start the business after meeting Niall Matheson, who had recently closed his own bagpipe shop. Yates felt that it was absurd for Inverness, known as the Highland capital, to not have a dedicated pipe shop. His passion for bagpipes and his belief in the importance of a community space for bagpipers led him to jump at the opportunity to fill this gap in the market.

The Evolution of Cabar Fèidh Bagpipe Supplies

Since its inception, Cabar Fèidh Bagpipe Supplies has undergone significant growth and development. Initially situated in the Victorian Market, the business relocated to Church Street in 2020, tripling its available space. This move proved to be a game-changer, allowing them to better serve their customers and expand their offerings. Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns, the store used this time to reorganize and optimize their new location.

Future Plans for the Business

Cabar Fèidh Bagpipe Supplies has ambitious plans for the future. One of their main goals is to expand their repair services and start manufacturing their own products. With the acquisition of lathes, Yates will be able to create his own practice chanters. The demand for repairs and maintenance is on the rise, and the store aims to meet this need by providing expert service. Additionally, the store’s employees, including Brian Yates himself, have taken on teaching bagpipes, and they hope to further develop their educational offerings. Their vision is to transform their space into a center of education for traditional music, Gaelic language, and cultural heritage.

Lessons Learned from Running a Business

Yates has learned valuable lessons from his experience running Cabar Fèidh Bagpipe Supplies. He highlights the realization that as a business owner, you are essentially working for everyone else. There are numerous responsibilities and tasks that go on behind the scenes to keep the business running smoothly. From managing suppliers and utilities to taking care of administrative work, being an entrepreneur demands a diverse skillset and a willingness to work tirelessly to ensure success.

A Vision for Inverness City Centre

Looking beyond the scope of his own business, Yates envisions a vibrant and diverse city center in Inverness. He believes that there should be opportunities for a wide variety of businesses, with more affordable rents to attract entrepreneurs. The presence of unique businesses, such as music stores, watch repair shops, and documentary makers, adds to the appeal and richness of the city center. Yates also advocates for free or lower-cost parking to encourage shoppers to spend more time exploring and supporting local businesses.

An Interesting Perspective: A Multilingual, Multicultural Background

Aside from his business endeavors, Brian Yates has an interesting personal background. He holds a master’s degree in teaching high school English and has had the privilege of teaching in the High School music department for the past five years. His first language of literacy was French due to his early years spent in Paris, before eventually moving to the United States. Yates moved to Inverness in 2005 for his German wife, who has made Scotland her home. His wife’s fluency in the flute and understanding of music and culture have helped Yates integrate into the community and feel at home.

Conclusion

Cabar Fèidh Bagpipe Supplies is not only a business that caters to bagpipe enthusiasts but also a cultural hub for traditional music, Gaelic language, and Scottish heritage. Brian Yates and his team have built a unique store that serves as a gathering place for bagpipers and promotes the preservation and appreciation of Scottish culture. With their plans for expansion and education, Cabar Fèidh Bagpipe Supplies is poised to become a leading center for traditional music and cultural education in Inverness, enchanting locals and tourists alike.

— Summary —

Cabar Fèidh Bagpipe Supplies in Inverness is a shop that specializes in selling bagpipes and related accessories. They offer repair services to customers and plan to expand their product range. The owner, Brian Yates, was inspired to start the business after meeting a bagpipe shop owner who closed down. The store has experienced growth and recently moved to a larger location. They plan to further expand their services by offering repair and manufacturing options. Brian Yates, who holds a master’s degree in teaching high school English, also teaches bagpipes and envisions the store becoming a center for traditional music education. Inverness city center could benefit from more variety in businesses and lower-cost parking. Brian Yates’s personal background includes fluency in French, moving to the United States, and eventually settling in Inverness with his German wife.

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Small Business Focus in association with Inverness BID

Q How would you describe your business to a stranger?

TO We sell bagpipes and all related accessories: music, books, drums, supplies and some clothing; Hose, Glengarries, Inverness Headlands. We also repair bagpipes and practice singing. I will be making my own practice chanters again when my lathes are up and running.

It’s a niche market, but we sell stuff that appeals to a broader market, so anyone interested in traditional music and bands, Gaelic songs, we sell those CDs. As far as I know, we are the only pipe supply store in the Highlands.

Q What inspired you to start the business?

TO I met Niall Matheson at the World Pipe Band Championships in 2012. I’ve known Niall for years and he told me he had closed shop. I said that?’ He asked me if he would have interested me and I said ‘Niall, he would have jumped in with both feet!’

The idea of ​​there not being a Highland pipe shop in the Highland capital was ludicrous. Where else would bagpipers go if they want to try out reeds, try out instruments, or just hang out with other bagpipers for fun? Niall still had the old space in the Victorian Market and I was able to switch from 12/12/12!

Q How has your business developed?

TO When the food market was coming into the Victorian Market, I was lucky enough to move to Church Street in 2020. It was the best thing we did because we have three times the space. We moved just before closing time! It was a total bùrach (Gaelic for disaster!). The confinement gave us the opportunity to organize the space.

Q What are your plans to develop your business in the future?

TO To do our own repairs and make some of our own products I can now take out my lathes.

We have more and more people coming in for MOTs, bag changes, people who want to get their pipes back up and running, so we’re doing a lot more on the service side.

I teach bagpipes, and Andrew MacLennan, who works for me, and Steven McCabe, who comes over, we all teach. We could only teach one at a time in the old store, now we have three rooms.

We hope to turn this into a center of education, not just for the flute, but also for Gaelic, to make it a center of traditional culture.

Q What lessons have you learned from your time in business?

TO A very dear friend of mine in the United States said, ‘you’ll find that when you start a business for yourself, you’re actually working for everyone else.’

You are absolutely right! I am working to pay the bills from my suppliers, my utilities, the administrative work; I had no idea how much work I would be doing in the background for everyone to keep the business going.

Q What is your vision for Inverness city centre?

TO I would like to see the opportunity for a wider variety of businesses: rents that are a little more affordable. Church Street is fun because here we have music and other interesting businesses: watch repair, a documentary maker, a historian. I would like to see free or lower cost parking! People want free parking. That will draw shoppers downtown and they will spend time shopping.

Q Can you tell us something interesting about yourself?

TO I have a master’s degree in teaching high school English. For the past five years I have had the great fortune of teaching in the High School music department, which is an absolutely fabulous department and a great school.

My first language of literacy was French because we moved to Paris when I was two years old and then I went back to the United States. I moved here in 2005 for my wife! She is German but she has made Scotland her home. The fact that she had a flute and understood music and culture allowed me to fit in a little better!

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