SDKsupplies, unique and custom martial arts equipment, books, videos and uniforms

Who, What, Where SDKsupplies is Kim Taylor and Brenda Duyf. I am (Kim is) a long time martial artist who had a hobby grow into a sort-of business. I say sort-of because we really don't run this thing properly. Oh we pay our taxes and are incorporated and pay an accountant and all that, but we don't advertise worth beans and we don't promote the business at all. I spend most of my time in the shop and Brenda packs and ships what orders come in. So please don't think of us as an Internet Business because if you're thinking Amazon or Tiger Direct or one of those places where you get automatic emails telling you your order has been shipped and then you get next day delivery, you're going to be disappointed, (some folks are). We aren't that. We should be, since we've been online for longer than almost every other martial arts shop out there, but we just aren't. I started making wooden weapons in 1982 and sold stuff by email before there was a WWW if you must know. I'm still here so you know how to complain to the maker if you need to, something you can't do to a cookie-cutter online store selling stuff from the third world at first world prices. We work out of our house, sometimes folks come and look at stuff in our back room. We store our stock in the basement, the living room, the bedrooms, the hallways, the kitchen and in a warehouse locker. We don't have an inventory system because every one that I've set up has never been updated. Our catalogue is this website which I update when I'm told to do it. Brenda sets the prices and takes the orders. Our advertising budget is about $200 a year. Like I said, a sort-of business but we do manage to get some nice stuff to folks who appreciate it and are willing to cut us some slack on the slickness scale. Along the way we manage to pay some of the bills. Most of the rest of our living comes from savings that we managed to tuck away through many years of being technicians at the University of Guelph here in Guelph Ontario, although Brenda has gone back to work in a government testing lab keeping the local goat-milk supplies safe. Other things that Kim does, did or can do: U. Guelph: Life model for the fine art department (a LOOONG time ago) was my first job. I worked for the departments of Fine Art, Zoology, Crop Science, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Human Kinetics, Molecular Biology and Animal Science as well as Athletics. I spent a few years as a researcher in Triticale for Crop Science while working on a minor in philosophy to go along with my major in biology, went back to school and got a Masters in Microbiology and then spent a long time as an analytical biochemist for Animal Science doing all those cool things with machines you see on CSI or NCIS. Along the way I published as co-author or sole author, several papers on cloning, monoclonal antibodies, carbohydrate and amino acid analysis and some other such stuff. I still edit the occasional paper for a professor in Japan and he's kind enough to give me an acknowledgement in each. I still teach women's self defence, iaido and jodo for the University, and have done so since 1987. I spent some time as secretary of the United Steelworkers union local at the University and was on the negotiating committee for a couple of contracts. Martial Arts: I hold a 7dan in iaido, a 5dan in jodo and a shodan in Aikido. I also teach Niten Ichiryu and Choken Battojutsu Kageryū (景流). I'm retired as director and secretary of the Canadian Kendo Federation and I'm still the national grading officer for jodo. I've produced the books and videos you see on this website and I believe you can learn from them. Really. I've also practiced Tae Kwon Do, Kung Fu, Boxing, and a bunch of other stuff along the way, as does anyone who hangs around the arts for this long. I started in 1980. I host a major iaido and jodo seminar at the University every spring on Victoria Day featuring sensei from Japan and students from all over the world. I was co-director of the Guelph School of Japanese Sword Arts which was a certificate program in the Open Learning program for a couple of years. No students, unfortunately. Other stuff: Oh go google Kim Taylor from Guelph, you'll find it. So now you know a bit about SDKsupplies, you should also know that this sort-of business pays the bills for Brenda and I as well as for our two kids, one in College for software engineering and one in University for music and both getting more expensive every day, so we are serious about getting your money and giving you our merchandise. We're just not very slick about it. Kim.

SDKsupplies is Kim Taylor and Brenda Duyf.

I am (Kim is) a long time martial artist who had a hobby grow into a sort-of business. I say sort-of because we really don't run this thing properly. Oh we pay our taxes and are incorporated and pay an accountant and all that, but we don't advertise worth beans and we don't promote the business at all.

I spend most of my time in the shop and Brenda packs and ships what orders come in.

So please don't think of us as an Internet Business because if you're thinking Amazon or Tiger Direct or one of those places where you get automatic emails telling you your order has been shipped and then you get next day delivery, you're going to be disappointed, (some folks are).

We aren't that. We should be, since we've been online for longer than almost every other martial arts shop out there, but we just aren't. I started making wooden weapons in 1982 and sold stuff by email before there was a WWW if you must know. I'm still here so you know how to complain to the maker if you need to, something you can't do to a cookie-cutter online store selling stuff from the third world at first world prices.

We work out of our house, sometimes folks come and look at stuff in our back room. We store our stock in the basement, the living room, the bedrooms, the hallways, the kitchen and in a warehouse locker. We don't have an inventory system because every one that I've set up has never been updated.

Our catalogue is this website which I update when I'm told to do it. Brenda sets the prices and takes the orders. Our advertising budget is about $200 a year.

Like I said, a sort-of business but we do manage to get some nice stuff to folks who appreciate it and are willing to cut us some slack on the slickness scale. Along the way we manage to pay some of the bills.

Most of the rest of our living comes from savings that we managed to tuck away through many years of being technicians at the University of Guelph here in Guelph Ontario, although Brenda has gone back to work in a government testing lab keeping the local goat-milk supplies safe.

Other things that Kim does, did or can do:

U. Guelph: Life model for the fine art department (a LOOONG time ago) was my first job. I worked for the departments of Fine Art, Zoology, Crop Science, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Human Kinetics, Molecular Biology and Animal Science as well as Athletics. I spent a few years as a researcher in Triticale for Crop Science while working on a minor in philosophy to go along with my major in biology, went back to school and got a Masters in Microbiology and then spent a long time as an analytical biochemist for Animal Science doing all those cool things with machines you see on CSI or NCIS. Along the way I published as co-author or sole author, several papers on cloning, monoclonal antibodies, carbohydrate and amino acid analysis and some other such stuff. I still edit the occasional paper for a professor in Japan and he's kind enough to give me an acknowledgement in each. I still teach women's self defence, iaido and jodo for the University, and have done so since 1987. I spent some time as secretary of the United Steelworkers union local at the University and was on the negotiating committee for a couple of contracts.

Martial Arts: I hold a 7dan in iaido, a 5dan in jodo and a shodan in Aikido. I also teach Niten Ichiryu and Choken Battojutsu Kageryū (景流). I'm retired as director and secretary of the Canadian Kendo Federation and I'm still the national grading officer for jodo. I've produced the books and videos you see on this website and I believe you can learn from them. Really. I've also practiced Tae Kwon Do, Kung Fu, Boxing, and a bunch of other stuff along the way, as does anyone who hangs around the arts for this long. I started in 1980.

I host a major iaido and jodo seminar at the University every spring on Victoria Day featuring sensei from Japan and students from all over the world. I was co-director of the Guelph School of Japanese Sword Arts which was a certificate program in the Open Learning program for a couple of years. No students, unfortunately.

Other stuff: Oh go google Kim Taylor from Guelph, you'll find it.

So now you know a bit about SDKsupplies, you should also know that this sort-of business pays the bills for Brenda and I as well as for our two kids, one in College for software engineering and one in University for music and both getting more expensive every day, so we are serious about getting your money and giving you our merchandise.

We're just not very slick about it.

Kim.