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My Work Shop (TechShop)

macona

Diamond
Joined
Jun 20, 2006
Location
Beaverton, OR
Slowly getting TechShop to take shape. Thanks to the economy its tough finding potential investors but we are making due. We are still not officially open but we have a running basic woods class through Portland Community College and also a Patternmaking Class.

The shop is about 33000 square feet.

Some of the goodies:

monarchseries60lathe.jpg


imgp1154.jpg


oliver24lathe.jpg


More pics at the web site: http://portlandtechshop.com

also a Photobucket site with higher res pics:

http://s398.photobucket.com/albums/pp69/TechShop/
 
Wow, that's a great looking place. I know a couple of guys in that area who would probably love to get in there! I'll send them a link.

Pete
 
i am curious if Techshop is closing cause of lawsuits from lawyers from somebody getting hurt in the shop ??
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just saying with lawyers now a days even signing forms holding shop not responsible and even taking training courses on using equipment i can still see lawyers filing lawsuits suing the business into bankruptcy easily.
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if nothing else by being independent shops a lawyer cannot easily go after the whole group of shops. lawyers always sue who ever is bigger with the most money.
 
Around here, at least, you can't blame TechShop's ills on personal injury lawyers. Seems crazy to immediately jump to the conclusion that the lawyers did it, when it is much more likely good old-fashioned mismanagement and tough business conditions. Given the booming SF Bay Area economy, rents were going to the moon, and anyone qualified to teach at TechShop probably had a better-paying job offer elsewhere. The dated 1-story Menlo Park location was ripped down and now the whole block is just finishing construction as a ~11-story office tower and swanky hotel tower. Guess who supposedly occupies the office tower? Facebook. They are taking over the universe around here.

My high-school-age son signed up for a TechShop class, and it was a disaster. The teacher spent most of his time distracted by his phone, and the class turned into Junior High School study hall. He dropped the class after a couple days of this, but it was hell getting our money back.
 
Its too bad, though I had read a bit about it on here a few times in the past and remember the business model didn't seem that good to me. Good intentions don't pay the bills.
 
The TechShop location in Portland, OR (actually Beaverton, OR) closed because the local TS manager leased a large facility (former stainless fabrication plant, I believe) and income did not remotely meet expenses. I got a phone call to "come pick up your stuff, or else the Sheriff will lock it down on Monday". That was the first time the rank-and-file TS membership was told explicitly about the situation. Fortunately, I was in town that weekend and could liberate my roller chest before everything was sealed.

I like the concept of TechShop, but it requires as much (or more!) business acumen to run a TS as a for-profit business. The Portland TS was started while TechShop was still allowing independent franchisees, so the Portland woes are all on the local team.
 
keeping any shop going is a money pit. vast sums of money going to unforeseen expenses and not enough income to cover it
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still i thought of it like a gym membership. but maybe they tried to expand to such large sized shops it was not sustainable. every gym has problems getting members to renew memberships. people loose interest and stop going.
 








 
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