Loss of Business for Custom Millworks LLC

[Chris Alexander]

I am at a crossroads in life, invested in a shop fully equipted and had a partner who was a great wood craftsman and could do almost anything. 5 months with no business in california forced me to close my doors and my partner to leave to find other working intrests. I now am left with alot of debt, no shop, a lot of great tools, ie, shaper, planner, jointer, sander, sliding table saw, saw stop table saw, and forced to keep it all in storage for a better day. I am 52 years old with no great prospects in the job market after working construction for the past 30 years. It is advice I seek from the professional wood industry on what I should do. Sell all and move on, or try to set up shop again hopping for a better future. Any imput would be appreciated. I alone do not feel competent to run a full shop by my self. If there is anyone who could come up with an ideas on the possibilities of making this shop run again I would entertain your thoughts. Thank you, Chris Alexander.

[Brian Peters]

Chris try WoodWeb, I think you will get a better professional response there. Everyone is finding themselves in a similar situation to some degree, the economy is effecting everyone - you're not a lone.

[David Keller NC]

Chris - I'm guessing that the loss of business has a lot to do with the bust in the California housing market. I'm not sure this is what you're looking for, but the construction industry is not completely dead in all areas of the country - some are much more affected than others. Here in Raleigh, houses still sell, and they're still building new ones, just not quite at the pace they did a couple of years back.

[Larry Edgerton]

Michigan is on its ear as well. I have gone from two crews of six to just me, and I am just making the bills most months, some months dipping into savings. I am lucky in that my shop is paid for, but the expense of keeping up a commercial building is eating up my hours of work. I am working for a building in other words.

I'll give you a call later, but I would not sell tools unless my kids were starving. Too hard to get them, and I suspect that in the coming years it will be harder.

I was offered a job at one of the Borg stores a year or so ago, and pride made me pass it up, but if you have actual construction experiance that may be a place to ride the storm out, and in the meantime, get your ducks in a row, search for your niche, and if possible practice your chosen project.

I have been wondering in the past year if the battle is worth while myself, but I love doing things my way, and no one really wants an anal old school craftsman any more anyway. Its tough sledding out there to be sure....

[Bob Luciano]

I own rental property out that way. I am not a woodworking pro but from the applications I am getting from people seems most of the trades are down and out in the area. Might be good to move to some place that isn't hit as badly or cut your loses. I have a friend that runs a storage rental place. He is always telling me about people paying storage until they can't anymore and taking pennies on the dollar at the last minute or having it seized and auctioned off for non payment of rent. I don't know your personal situation but keep in mind every month you pay in storage increases the cost of that equipment.

[John Thompson]

The building trade is pretty close to rock bottom here in Georgia from what I have seen. I live in a county that has been a top 3 county in the U.S. for single housing starts for years. About 1 1/2 years ago.. the banks quit loaning and the bottom dropped out first for construction. The bottom is about out for everything at this point.

I saw entire sub-divisions under construction then and suddenly everything just stopped more or less. I can drive in a 10 mile radius and see entire sub-divisions halp completed before the builder just shut down. Several large construction compainies that have been around for years in Atlanta no longer exist. Gone with the Wind.. so to speak.

Sarge..

[Chris Alexander]

Thank you gentlemen for your imput, I know it is hard out there, chin up and got a go get em attitude, hope that will pull me through. Appreciate all your kind thoughts. Chris.

[Steve knight]

making money at woodworking is always hard even in good times.