Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast
Results 16 to 30 of 32

Thread: Interested in founding a local “Maker Space” - any experiences?

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Atlanta
    Posts
    1,592
    Bodgery isn't going to be the best model to emulate for a business. It appears largely driven out of passion by the founders who have other jobs too. What does that tell you? Their first location was rent free if I recall . Last I heard they had 50 members paying $50 a month with a practical max of 100 members. $2500/mo. isn't likely to pay rent , utilities, and insurance - let alone service the debt you want to incur for the machines. You want to pay yourself a salary ? Good luck. $5k/mo. presents more options, but still isn't very realistic from an investment perspective. Madison also has 10x the population and double the medium income of Boone. Which means a lot more potential customers.

    Insurance really isn't that big of a hurdle. You're just going to have to pay up. Which is part of your overhead. Liability is pretty easy to shield yourself from.

    I seriously doubt the tourist crowd up there is going to contribute as part of the customer base. Might donate to your cause though. But it's been decimated this summer.


    the number of very successful examples suggests strongly that it's a very viable model.
    Roger - Could you list a few of the woodworking ones for me to check out ? And for the record, I don't consider a charity a successful business. We can disagree on that though. I don't view this as an entity that is going to work long term if the main focus is trying to regularly find customers or donors from fundraising. Especially in a town of 20,000. The numbers just aren't going to work.
    Last edited by Dave Sabo; 07-30-2020 at 5:38 PM.

  2. #17
    Unfortunately, I agree with everything you just said and those things and more has been what’s kept me from going down this rabbit hole too far in the past.

    The reality of any business is that you either have a customer base or you have to find / make it. This area really feels too small and economical depressed / tourism dependent for something like this to work in a profitable business sense. I just wish I was wrong.

    Quote Originally Posted by Dave Sabo View Post
    Bodgery isn't going to be the best model to emulate for a business. It appears largely driven out of passion by the founders who have other jobs too. What does that tell you? Their first location was rent free if I recall . Last I heard they had 50 members paying $50 a month with a practical max of 100 members. $2500/mo. isn't likely to pay rent , utilities, and insurance - let alone service the debt you want to incur for the machines. You want to pay yourself a salary ? Good luck. $5k/mo. presents more options, but still isn't very realistic from an investment perspective. Madison also has 10x the population and double the medium income of Boone. Which means a lot more potential customers.

    Insurance really isn't that big of a hurdle. You're just going to have to pay up. Which is part of your overhead. Liability is pretty easy to shield yourself from.

    I seriously doubt the tourist crowd up there is going to contribute as part of the customer base. Might donate to your cause though. But it's been decimated this summer.



    Roger - Could you list a few of the woodworking ones for me to check out ? And for the record, I don't consider a charity a successful business. We can disagree on that though. I don't view this as an entity that is going to work long term if the main focus is trying to regularly find customers or donors from fundraising. Especially in a town of 20,000. The numbers just aren't going to work.
    Still waters run deep.

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Location
    Wayland, MA
    Posts
    3,656
    Artisan's Asylum is the one in Boston I'm most familiar with, they've been going for 25 years now https://artisansasylum.com. Here's a similar one in Minneapolis https://www.mplsmake.com. As far as I can tell they exist in most major cities. Google 'woodworking coop' and you'll get many hits to smaller operations. Coops range from 3-4 woodworkers pooling resources to ones with hundreds of members. A common model is to have a small number of full-time resident woodworkers and then occasional use members who pay a monthly fee. Many incorporate teaching as part of their program. Many town libraries now incorporate a laser cutter and 3D printer among their services, some go beyond that to CNC routers.

    I don't think liability is a huge issue, that's what insurance is for. Paying for that insurance may be a bigger issue, your revenue model needs to incorporate adequate funding for it.

  4. When I had my shop located in Charlotte, NC a woodworker and I talked about that idea. The concept was not only to create an environment where "small" makers can run their own business, the idea also included a main show room where customers can see different kind of styles, making a healthy competition environment.

    The project also supported the idea about marketing the Maker Space (cheaper for each one), mixing also metal workers, upholsterers, woodworkers and other artist related to custom furniture business. Even 4 woodworkers could coexist in same same space using different styles, scopes, products, etc.

    So Phillip, go ahead! I consider that this kind of projects should by run across the country.

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
    Location
    Los Angeles
    Posts
    1,356
    Phillip I checked out your website, you do nice work.
    Do you feel socially isolated in your work, are you attracted to having more company around you during the work day?
    I ask this because I can only imagine that running a co-op is going to take away from your actual woodworking.

    Maybe start off by pooling resources with a few other creative people so you can all work in a larger shop space than otherwise and see how you like that first?

    best, Mark

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Oct 2016
    Location
    Ogden, UT
    Posts
    1,659
    Blog Entries
    1
    I can see doing a commune type thing. I.e. you get a group of artists, everyone mostly gets along, and you feed off of each other's energies. Everyone splits the bills. That, to me, could potentially be a lot of fun.

    For a little while, I joined a makerspace in SLC. It was kind of goal less. Had a wood shop, but not a nice one. Had a metal shop, but not a nice one. Had this or that, but nothing fancy. You'd obviously draw the crowd you're going for. All fancy woodworking tools, charge premium for select members capped at a certain amt. Or do it the general way described above. I didn't like the 'little bit of everything, but bad at everything' model myself, but I think a lot of apartment dwellers that want some DIY time really liked it.

    If I were having my day dream moment, I'd definitely want the commune with other art friends model. Shared living spaces, kitchen space, etc. That would be very rad.

  7. I always thought most of the maker space places were mostly not following the for profit model.

    Our local one here in Tallahassee is called Making Awesome. I haven't checked them out in person or even closely on line, but they are at https://www.makingawesome.org if you are interested in checking out another example. I think they have a mix of woodworking and metal working stuff.

  8. #23
    Not sure if this adds, but have you thought of bootstrapping and starting small?

    Particularly with COVID, having a tent/pavilion structure with lots of airflow makes a ton of sense.
    Also, hand tools (particularly used ones) are lower liability and cheaper than say....a ginormous Laguna table saw/planer/etc.
    As you grow organically, you can get other artisans to join.

    That being said, I have a very hard time seeing this as a for-profit model....especially in this economy.

  9. #24
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
    Location
    Western PA
    Posts
    1,242
    With your stated goals, my first suggestion is what others suggested--the co-op/commune shop. Ive seen a few of these work successfully where 4 guys go in on a space, tools, etc. Its one of the ways of justifying high end equipment for a one man outfit. No offense to the one-man outfits out there, but the majority of them are getting by with a 20-30 year old 66/unisaw, 8" jointer, 15" four post import planer, and generally hobbyist level kit. And a lot of them do great work! However, life is easier with a spray booth, a nice italian/german slider, widebelt, etc. On top of the machines, 4 guys can kinda work effectively out of the same space as 1-2 guys. The setups ive seen locally and across the country are in maybe 3,000 sqft and each guy has a corner of the shop for his work bench. This is a good setup if you just want to upgrade your space and machines(doesnt hurt to have an extra set of hands around for 15 mins here and there either. I work alone, i know). Theres no liability or safety training or holding hands or 45-50 separate people jacking up your martin t54. This method doesnt make you a profit, but it cuts your expenses by a tremendous amount. If i started my own shop, i would probably found one of these setups and have the lease in my name, my machines, and treat the other guys as subleases in a sense. That way you retain control and could make money off the other folks. However, it would be good to have other people around because some operations are dreadful when you dont have a third hand, like i mentioned.

    The Tech Shop/Makerspace in Pittsburgh(2.4M people) went under a few years ago. They also went into a quickly gentrifying area next to a Google headquarters, and i dont imagine the rent was cheap. I considered signing up, but the initial required safety training was arduous. I couldnt get over the safety fee and 8+ hours of classes/training.

  10. #25
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Upland CA
    Posts
    5,548
    Phillip,

    As I understand this, you do have a woodworking business of some kind, and want to share knowledge and experience with other people interested in woodworking.

    May I suggest that considering the area you live in, that you might be better off starting a WW school. Like many others, you could offer classes in certain areas, with guest teachers. Perhaps your area is conducive for tourism, which means you could work deals with local B&B's and the like, so the non woodworkers in the family could enjoy a week also.

    If it works out, you could even buy some unused historic building to hold the classes in. Rent parts of it out to like minded people who want to run quilting classes or whatever. Next thing you know, you have a destination business, and become filthy rich.

    Seems to work out in other areas.
    Rick Potter

    DIY journeyman,
    FWW wannabe.
    AKA Village Idiot.

  11. #26
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Atlanta
    Posts
    1,592
    roger - thanks. Artisan look like it's everything to everybody. I'm still skeptical about them making the numbers work on memberships only. I recognize one board member, a VC guy from his days at GaTech's incubator. Surely they've grown organically and didn't start off with all that equipment an space? Greater Boston is also populous and wealthy. How many members are there ? MPLS is quite impressive. So are their monthly fees. No way Phillip is going to get the mountain folk to pony up that kind of dough every month.

    Eduardo, what happened to your idea/plan ? I'm assuming you realized it just wasn't viable as a business ? Or at the least, not as profitable as what you're currently doing.

    andrew - there is something like that close to Boone and Phillip already. Pendland School of Craft. https://penland.org/

    Pete - I can remember when Capital Circle wasn't even a circle, but Making Awesome is in a great location if you ask me. Capital City Lumber was a real gem especially for Redwood back when I lived there. I don't think they have the type of equipment Phillip was envisioning though. It's about the feel and scale that I think would be possible in Boone though. But not really as a business.

    Matt - cleaver idea, but the climate in Boone won't allow a tent for this endeavor.

  12. #27
    Join Date
    Apr 2018
    Location
    Cambridge Vermont
    Posts
    2,282
    There's plenty of up side to something like this. For example I've spend more than a decade doing glass work. Most of the woodworkers we sold glass to barely liked to touch the stuff. OTH we also sold to stained glass makers, glass blowers, and others who worked extensively with glass. I don't ever recall the two groups ever working together yet in a setting where woodworkers had access to plenty of other people they could make contacts. There was a glass blower near here who would take the left over melted glass and turn it into a sheet that had a look like the old glass you would find back in the revolutionary war days. He's moved but those sheets looked like they would have worked well in a cabinet door. Metal working would be another.

  13. #28
    Join Date
    Oct 2016
    Location
    Ogden, UT
    Posts
    1,659
    Blog Entries
    1
    I have a commercial space of about 1500 sq ft. I would love to have a different artist medium in there to feed off of. I know a lot of folks on here are strictly woodworkers. I don't consider myself a woodworker, but an artist. As such, I love to be exposed to different people w/ different ideas.

    I am looking forward to doing some real collaboration with artists to create something that neither of could do on own.

  14. #29
    Join Date
    Jun 2020
    Location
    Mid-Hudson Valley
    Posts
    19
    Quote Originally Posted by Alex Zeller View Post
    You might be better off approaching this slightly differently. Instead of you buying all the equipment, leasing the space, and needed insurance what about trying to form a woodworking club with the intent of having a common shop for all to use. Like coming up with a business plan you could come up with a plan for the club. Things like what pieces of equipment you think the shop will need right off, what pieces you think the shop will like in the future, how big of a shop will be needed, and stuff like that. You should be able to put a dollar amount to it and then try to find members and pitch the idea to them. You could find enough people with connections, say someone knows a cheap place to lease or knows of a good deal on used equipment. You might even find a company or two that will offer a great deal on new equipment in exchange for being able to show potential customers in the area the equipment in use. I think your idea has potential but it seams like it could take years to find enough people to make it viable.
    I've been a member of a large woodworking club for 20+ years. The focus of the club is on teaching woodworking through hands on classes. Classes are taught by skilled members as well as "professionals." Various fund raising activities are undertaken including a big show each year. It took a long time to get to the point where we had a fully equipped large shop. For quite a while we had a large space that was heavily subsidized by the owner in the form of trivial rent. Eventually we lost the use of that space and had to find a space at market rates. We have several smaller shops for SIGS that are in donated space. One of those will be going away once the wife of the the donor passes... she generously allowed use after he passed. As that was happening the internet exploded with woodworking programming and easy availability of tools and consumables. Vendor and visitor numbers dropped significantly at the shows as expenses rose. To make it viable the show admission price and dues went up significantly. We are also loosing key members as they age out and/or pass away. COVID 19 creamed us this year as shows had to be cancelled and all the shops have been closed.

    Being a club also means there are many people who have the notion of making something but don't know how to properly use the tools. As such, before a member can use a piece of equipment they have to attend training on that piece of equipment. That means volunteers need to be on site to monitor users and give the training. Staffing cannot be over looked in a place (whether it's a club, maker space, etc.) that potentially needs to be open 7 days a week in order to pay for itself.

    I think it is a great club... many people have learned a lot and made good friends. Me personally... I taught classes, gave many presentations at the shows, and served as chapter treasurer for about 12 years. That said, looking at the club through my organizational researcher lens, given the above, I'm wondering how long the club can continue to remain viable... If it fails I have my own well equipped shop so access to tools isn't an issue for me. However, I do and will miss my club friends. I will also miss going out to dinner with the professionals in the evening during the big show--those dinner conversations were invaluable.

    In my town there is a small maker's shop that is a few years old. I don't actually know anyone who uses it. My club also collaborates with a wooden boat school in my town where classes are taught--this is good for both organizations.

    I'm not sure what the ideal model is today for shared well equipped shops, but I do think that an educational component is needed. I've known too many guys who "built shops" and collected tools but never really made anything after that as they didn't know how... I am sure however that turning someone with no training loose on a machine, that could delimb them in less than a heartbeat, isn't a viable model.

  15. #30
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    SE Michigan
    Posts
    3,222
    I’ve looked into makers spaces in my area and after this Covid thing, may get more serious about it. The most promising one is located about 45 minutes away...not the most convenient, but not a deal breaker. The thing I like about this place is they offer a daily rate of $45 or 10 visits for $300. Individual memberships are around $1100/year and I can’t justify that. Being able to use a band saw for resawing or a jointer to prep stock from time to time would be nice. In other words, I don’t need a full shop, just a few specific machines now and again. My income to them would probably be in the $100/year, plus whatever they charge to test/certify my use of a machine.

    Hopefully they will survive the pandemic and I can look into using them later in the year.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •