mdeiley

I am in a position to open a supply store for woodworkers. I have a few questions for all you vets out there. Mainly the hobbyists not so much the people making a living at woodworking.
1) do you purchase most tools and items online or do you like the hands on touch and feel of buying products and tools and such?
2) How far would you drive?
3) What items are important for you to see in a store?
4) On average how much do you spend annually on your hobby? please exclude materials.
5) And any other info that you could share would help me in my decision

I thank all of you for taking a look at this post and for your feed back.

Mike

TS3660

Mike,
I'm really new at this so I may not represent most hobbyists. I just got a table saw last Friday. I bought the Ridgid TS3660 from HD. I went to a few stores like yours will be but they just didn't have what I wanted. I was not looking for "the best" saw at a high price. I just wanted a decent saw at a fair price. I would much rather buy from a guy like you instead of a big box. And, I can tell you that I will be spending alot of time and money at a store like yours for accessories etc. Blades, jigs, wood, books, some good advice and a cup of coffee and I'll be there.

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Bud

"Capitalism is the unequal sharing of wealth: Socialism is the equal sharing of misery"

arkyrick

I've been in construction all my life and I got more tools then I know what to do with and I still buy more. I buy online tools that are hard to find and old logging tools in good shape I just bought a sawmill and a tenon cutting tool and a draw plane, plans for a kiln. I'm going to buy a Cant .....you see what I mean
I would think competeing with Lowes and Home depot might be tricky but if you carry good quality and maybe some of the hard to find tools and give good service and definitly sell online I'd probably buy from you.

dpmcreations

If you are looking to open a woodworking store, than you should be looking to supply things that of good to high quality that the big box stores may not carry in a complete stock.... You would be surprised what the Big box stores don't carry, including orange box, blue box, Ace, etc... Also, carrying a quality line or two of equipment would be a great thing for you... You don't necessarily need to stock them, but you would be surprised what a tastefully decorate "tool Sale" area with specific things for woodworkers would do... Also, unless you have an unlimited amount of capital, keep a limited amount of hardware, but make sure that you have a catalog center for special order hardware, knobs, hinges, etc. etc.. In addition, keep the place friendly with a local feel... The suggestion of coffee is great, you might even want to tap into some of the "experts" that are truly skilled who might want to offer a lecture series or a how to class in your place of business...

From what I have seen, quality friendly and personal is the name of the game... If you offer good quality, great friendliness, and keep the shop personable you will succeed... More thoughts to come as I was a business consultant for a few years, but if you would like some more you can drop me a private message or an email to me down here in sunny Florida... Have a great night...

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Duane

Lloyd James

I am a hobbyist at this time. My shop was lacking several woodworking machines a few months ago. I have added a Jet 6" belt-9" disc sander. and just 2 weeks ago added a Jet 1 1/2 hp dust collector w/ the hepa type filter because of the wife and I want to work with exotics like pauduck, bulbinga, saltine, and cherry. I will not buy any machines from home depot or similar stores. I dont have a lot of money, but I would rather wait to buy a trusted name or solid used machinery. I did check out amazon for the dust collector. They had a good price and a $25 rebate. I always like to buy from a woodorking store such as Woodcraft and Rockler or a hardware store w/ woodworking tools.
I bought the d.c. at Woodcraft since they had it in stock w/ the same price. Even if they didn't have it in stock or if I would have to pay more up to $40-50 more, I still would have bought it there(they even let me put money down on it to hold it for 2 weeks. I have always liked my money to goto a local store rather than the mega corporate stores. The things I like about the local store is, you can ask many questions about woodworking, take lessons, and most important, you can take it back, if there are serious problems, or get a quick replacement part. Since I have moved a bit north, I have to travel about 45 miles to Woodc and Rock'r. Those southsiders get everything. ")

Marko

I have been in more online and walkin woodworking stores east of the mississippi than I can count and one thing that still baffles me today is how much money some of the Mom and Pop operations charge for their products .Brand and selection can all be great but if you can't keep the pricing competitive you'll drive customers to shop elsewhere.I just want to clarify that I happen to have a love for mom and pop establishments and don't want to give a different impression.I live in a small town and thats all we have.Coming from a huge metropolis I learned the difference fast.Unfortunately, most can't compete with the BB's but thats ok because most woodworkers and hobbyist aren't looking for the tool that a DIY'er would be looking for.I look at just a few of the things I purchased lately i.e.carter bearing packs for the bandsaw,Forest WWII tablesaw blades,carving mallets and swedish steel bandblades to name a few.these are not at those BB stores.They are at the true Woodworker,craftsman,hobbyist catered to store.This is one reason I like Woodcraft .Now woodcraft's are franchise's so attitudes can very but the inventory usually stays the same.Woodcraft exemplifies what should be in a aWoodworkers Hangout and the pricing is fair.It's a store that I spent close to $10k in the past year,mostly on bit's blades and accessories.There pricing is fair and competitive and they realize they're dealing with an educated consumer/woodworker.BTW,I drive 6hrs round trip to get to the nearest Woodcraft to me,and I pass alot of other stores on the way .All i have is my opinion here but one thing we all have in common lately is the fact that the "moneytree" has not shed a leaf in quite some time and nothing discourages me more than finding something that I NEED, markedup 30% more than what I can get it for online.

Mdieley,just for you to post this question says alot about you .I'm sure you've done the demographics so it must be a lucrative venture that your area can sustain but listening to some of the input you've recieved here can go a long way.Kudo's to you for asking!!

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www.logstolumber.org

Gerry KIERNAN

Hi Mike

I never like to be the "wet blanket", but are you sure you want to try this? You are up against some very stiff competiton from the big box stores, and from on-line suppliers. I admire your desire to give this a try, and asking the hobbyists, such as myself, and others, is definitely a good first step. I once took a night school course called "starting your own successful small business" and one of the things that impressed me the most was the staggeringly high failure rate. According to the instructor only one out of seven start up businesses was around after three years. An awful lot of these businesses failed due to not doing market studies, and the rest mostly failed due to inadequate capitalisation. Taking this course decidedly dampened my enthusiasm for giving it a try.
Okay, now that I have dropped the bad news bombshell, if you do your market research, have the capital, [allow for three years just to start generating an adequate income] and are prepared to work long hours [24/7] then give it a shot. Just don't expect instant recognition/fame/glory/wealth, and phenominal success.
Crap there I am being the wet blanket again.

If you go for it I wish you all the success you can achieve. You will earn it.

Best wishes.

Gerry

Knot Home

1) I purchase online if the price is way better than I can get at a store. Otherwise, I patronize my local stores.

2) If you want to guarantee failure, put your store out in the boondocks. All of the successful stores here in Detroit Metro are on main thoroughfares. With gas prices heading for $4 a gallon and beyond, taking a long drive to look around will rapidly loose it's luster. Already I try to plan my visits to the local stores for when I'll be in the area, and the one that gets the most of my dollars is on my way home from work.

3) Normal consumable items , such as blades, cutters, abrasives, glue, finish, etc. Also, I bought a good portion of my macinery from local stores, but we have one here that competes well with the big boxes (Performance Line Tools, Pontiac, Mi). Books are nice to see and flip through rather than buying a pig-in-a-poke online.

4) I can't post what I spend in case SWMBO sees it. Seriously, I don't keep track, but it's in the thousands rather than hundreds of dollars. I'm still setting up though. I expect my spending will slow way down soon, other than the consumables mentioned above and probably more clamps.

5) Your local competition in the form of other woodworking stores. If the big boxes are the only competition, you have a better chance of success (as in no Woodcraft or Rockler's nearby).

Don't forget to pray,

Roy

smitty1967

Mike, best wishes to you...this will be a tough undertaking, for sure, as any business would be. Hope it works out for you.

Answers:
1.) I have to have the tactile experience before you make fifty-dollar bills fly out of my wallet. I will never buy a tool online. Sandpaper, bulk items like screws, yes, but tools, never.
2.) On a regular basis, I would drive as much as 30-40 miles one way if I was treated right and if the store had what I wanted when I got there. For the big things, like shop tools, I'll be driving from Peoria to Springfield, MO (6 hrs windshield time?) to equip my shop.
3.) The things I want...variety is the key, and for a variety of hobbyists and shoppers, you'll have a huge inventory to satisfy everyone.
4.) I've never kept track of my average spending. What's the point? It would only serve to make me unhappy with the hobby I love....
5.) Don't hire high school kids that know nothing, or grumpy old retirees that think they know everything, or worse yet know only ONE way of doing something, insist that you do it their way, and get pissy with the customer when the customer suggests some other way of doing something.

regards,
smitty

mmwood_1

Mike,
Ok, I am not a hobbyist, I do custom woodwork for a living. I probably wouldn't be one of your customers, because I also am decidedly NOT one of those guys who 'collects' tools. I have very basic tools, they work adequately for my needs, and upgrading is only a fantasy on my budget. But I would like to give my .02 on a couple of things.
-Duane mentioned to keep the place friendly with a local feel. I will say that a store of any type such as that gets my business more readily than an impersonal, industrialized warehouse.
-Roy mentioned the gas prices and locating conveniently. I think there is merit to that. I too, consolidate my trips more than I used to. And going someplace to browse and MAYBE buy something is less of an option than before.
-the primary expenditure I have regarding tools is replacing router/drill bits, and sharpening saw blades, planer/jointer knives, and router bits.

good luck

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mark

http://markmeyerwoodworking.com

RJAngel

Mike,

Best of luck to you should you proceed and open your store.
I would be cautious however and study the local competition, as there was a GREAT woodworking store within a 10 min drive of me, which closed about 1-2 years ago. They had all the top name tools, all types of hardware and finishing products, a very large room of domestic and exotic hardwoods and a great knowledgeable staff. Then Rockler opened a store within 2 miles several years ago. Rockler did have slightly lower prices and a better location and a pretty good staff as well, still do. I'd be more concerned about Rockler/Woodcraft type stores than the big box stores. Not trying to discourage you, just my thoughts.
Now to answer your questions (finally
1) I've only purchases 1 tool on-line, a compressor & nail gun set from Amazon. All others (bandsaw, planer, table saw) have been purchased locally.
2) The Rocklers I mentioned is 10 min away, but, a sawmill I buy from is an hour away. Depends on what I need.
3) Bits, blades, finishing supplies and other 'consumables' mostly. Small quantities of hardwood and such.
4) Hard to saw. Usually 1 major tool plus smaller stuff needed for any given project.

Ron

Ryu Bateson

I would love to have a store like this around my area!

Hmmmmm for hobbyists, I would suggest getting into your inventory everthing from Gouges to routers, sandpaper ( Fine grit to coarse grit), gloves, exacto knives, draw knives, and all sorts of wood blocks.

Ill post later with suggestions on wood to stock up on and what wood is good for what project.

Also elmers glue and epoxy putty. If you want you might even consider some adzes for a special sale..... ( I am looking for an adze myself!)

Popsicle stick and tounge deppresors are great for bird carving. ( for the tail feathers.)

Ill post later with other ideas!

mdeiley

Thanks again to all who have posted your input is of great value. Another question would be how important is name brand recognition? If Rockler and Woodcraft are not options but an independat store opened would you still buy from them? Or would you prefer the other name brands? Thanks again!

md

stuart

One thing I learned from Warren Buffet [yes the "now" richest person in the world - in terms of net worth] was to get rid of things that are bad FIRST. What doesn't sell - get rid of or prevent using.
Make sure what moves in the right directions first... even if it looks like a long haul.
there is an odd exception here and there that are done that no one else does.

but he basically said he get the brainstorming done first[there's that edit bold type again] on the bad stuff be it market ideas or bad history- before putting $$$ in something.

He is a very simple fellow. He wasn't a get rich quick kind of guy..