Stephan Grabner, of Abergavenny, was one of three sons, born in the former East Germany. He couldn’t study A-levels due to the political oppression, so he trained to be a nurse.
He came to work in the UK just before the reunification of East and West Germany and opened the well-known Stephan’s Cellar in Abergavenny in 1993. It closed in the late 1990’s and he moved into the steel, automotive and electronics industry, before retraining as a therapist at 50.
Mr Grabner is keen to share his experience in business development and volunteers as a Business Wales Mentor.
He trained as a Amatsu therapist, helping people heal from a range of painful conditions such as back or knee pain, injury or whiplash.
Here's his story:
“I was born in the former East Germany in 1966, but Abergavenny has been my home for the last 30 years."
"I grew up in Leipzig, a city in the state of Saxony. My father was a Vicar at St Thomas’ Church, a Lutheran church, where incidentally the composer Johann Sebastian Bach worked as a Kapellmeister (the leader of the Thomaner Choir) and is buried. My mother worked for the university where she was the commercial manager of the choir, organising concerts and musicians.
"I am the youngest of three brothers, one of whom is a vicar and the other, an accomplished musician. I never had a vision of what I wanted to do as a career like some people, but remember as a young boy wanting to be a toy maker.
"As I got older, I did think about engineering as an interesting career but could not pursue it due to the political oppression in the former German Demographic Republic. At school, we mainly learned Russian but from the age of 13 were given some English lessons. My parents spoke quite decent English as my dad had international guests visiting.
"We always had an open house. A lot of people would bring their problems to the vicar so I can see where I get the social skills needed for my various jobs.
"The Berlin Wall, dividing communist East Germany from West Germany, was built in 1961 and is one of most powerful symbols of the Cold War.
Seeing the wall and not being able to cross into West Berlin was normal for us as we were born after it was built.
"We had relatives in both parts of Germany, but the Western relatives had to have a visa to do so.
"I wasn’t allowed to sit A-levels in those days due to the political oppression so when I left school in 1982 I trained as a nurse in the hospital. I also worked as a locksmith’s apprentice, handyman and driver.
"The Berlin Wall fell on November 9, 1989, and the Reunification of East and West Germany was made official on October 3, 1990, almost one year later.
"As the wall fell, I was seeking an opportunity to come go abroad to learn English and work.
"Just a few months before the Reunification, I had the opportunity to come and live and work in the UK. My dad’s cousin knew a wine merchant, so I got a job in London as a helper, driving and carrying boxes aged 24.
Stephan age six, (centre, front row) on his first day at his village school in Hartmannsdorf near Chemnitz
"My English was initially not good enough, but six months later I moved to Birmingham and later Cardiff, where I met my wife.
"I was planning to open my own wine shop in Swansea, but it unfortunately fell through and whilst expecting our first child, ended up moving to a village near Abergavenny.
"At the time, new shop premises were being built in Lewis’ Lane in Abergavenny town centre so I took out a lease and opened an independent wine shop which many people will remember called ‘Stephan’s Cellar’ in 1993.
"I completed a Diploma with the Wine and Spirit Education Trust and focused on growing the business. I was lucky enough to travel to places like South Africa, France, and Portugal for wine fairs. I had a good reputation with around 5,000 different bottles of alcohol and was named ‘Best Independent Specialist’ Off Licence of the Year in 1996.
"I was actively involved in the business community, having served as President and Vice-President of Abergavenny Chamber of Trade and Commerce in the late 1990’s.
Stephan (left) with singer, Marty Wilde 1995 outside Stephan's Cellar Abergavenny
Unfortunately, a Safeway supermarket opened on the outskirts of Abergavenny, affecting footfall in the town centre. This, together with the introduction of car parking charges led to the point where I sadly had to close the business.
"In the years that followed I worked for several companies in the solar, steel, automotive and electronics sector. I was involved in projects to construct large-scale solar parks across Europe and the UK.
"When I saw a decline in the solar market, due to Brexit and other forces, I wanted to work for myself.
Stephan at his wine shop 1998
"In 2015 I decided to change career after being successfully treated by Clare Heal, an experienced Amatsu therapist, for hip and knee problems.
"Amatsu therapy combines ancient Japanese ‘hands on’ therapeutic techniques with modern research and works with the body’s soft tissues including muscles, tendons and ligaments as well as rebalancing other key mechanical and energetic structures such as the spine, joints and bones.
"By bringing the body back into balance, Amatsu empowers the body to heal itself. It provides effective long-lasting results for a wide range of symptoms as frozen shoulder, tennis/golfer's elbow, migraines, whiplash, sciatica, back pain just to name a few.
"In my treatments I combine physical treatment with acupuncture.
Stephan with his brothers Frithjof (Left), Wolf-Jürgen (right) - 1985
This amplifies the benefits of both techniques on their own and gives lasting treatment results.
"The technique dates back around 3,000 years and is based on Japanese martial arts.
"Even after the first treatment I was surprised how much changed just in one session. I was amazed that my hip and knee problems went away after just six sessions. The gentleness and effectiveness of the treatment convinced me to train as an Amatsu practitioner.
Stephen Grabner at work at the Amatsu Centre Abergavenny
"Throughout my diverse career I was always interested in solving people’s problems, of a technical nature as well as in the management of pain. As a vicar’s son our family was there to help people, it was the same in nursing, and I suppose in my business career I was problem solving.
"I started to research teaching schools before studying with Jane Langston at the award-winning Amatsu Training School near London. I was worried about going back to ‘school’ as I was almost 50 but Jane allayed my fears, explaining how the course was structured around case studies, the homework and that was flexible around my freelance work.
"The training required to become an accredited Amatsu therapist is thorough, and it took me two years to qualify. I started my training in 2016, completing the first of three exam levels (Anma) that November and the final two exams (Seitai and Shinden) respectively in 2017 and 2019. Alongside this, I was a teaching assistant for two years and treated patients in my home clinic and hired venues in shared clinics in Cardiff, Newport and Hereford.
"The business grew significantly and in the autumn of 2019, I made the decision to open a clinic in the historic Gunter Mansion on Lower Cross Street in Abergavenny as it is now my home town. I signed the lease in January 2020, but two months later Covid hit, and lockdown meant that we couldn’t treat clients.
"During this time, I refurbished the premises until I could safely open in July 2020.
"In the summer of 2021, I joined Chris Roworth Amatsu and Acupuncture Training at the School of Japanese Integrated Medicine. In July this year I celebrated my second anniversary and business is going from strength-to-strength.
"I treat people who are in pain and unable do the things they would usually be able to, or those who have tried other treatments but have not had lasting results.
"Alongside this I am a mentor for Business Wales. It is a voluntary role using my expertise in business development.
"I have 30 years experience in several different industries, from steel and construction to electronics, automotive, retail, health and in the food and drinks industry. I am passionate about people and delivering quality and service as the key to success.
"Many years were tough, but I learned from my mistakes, became successful and I want to share that knowledge.”
To find out more visit amatsucentre.com
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