Jul 31, 2009 6:30 am US/Mountain
High Tech Hobby Shop Helps Many Beat the Recession
Written By Brooke Wagner
DENVER (CBS4) ―
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Steve Garran show Brooke Wagner around Club Workshop.
CBS
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Breakfast With Brooke is a weekly interview series with CBS4 Morning News anchor Brooke Wagner that airs on Friday mornings on CBS4. Read about or watch more reports in the Breakfast With Brooke section.
After 15 years in the information technology business, Steve Garran was burned out. He may have lost his passion for the daily grind, but he still had a passion for fixing cars. His hobby gave him the idea for a new business; an all-inclusive, high tech hobby shop. "Club Workshop" in Denver is the result of that brainstorm.
"Really, this is the place to enable your inner creator," said Garran."To my knowledge, I'm the only one who's brought together wood shop, machine shop, and inventing, in one facility, where Denver's hobbyists, builders, and inventors can come down and use Club Workshop to build and make things."
In the new Do-it-Yourself movement that's sweeping the nation in the midst of this recession, they're known as "makers." More and more people want to build their own stuff, instead of buying it in a store. It's a way to beat the recession and build skills, at the same time. Last year, Garran opened Club Workshop on Vallejo Street, to satisfy the needs of a growing market. Beyond wood, metal, and auto shops, the sweeping facility offers high tech embroidery and engraving machines, so members can build, fix, or invent, almost anything. Garran works on his own classic Italian cars in the club's auto repair bays.
"Recessions and tough economic times get people to think a lot more about what they can do, how they can make things," said Garran. "A lot of inventions are being developed by people who have extra time on their hands, who want to actually make something new and different. Club Workshop's the place to do that."
That's exactly the goal of Denver Jewelry designer Ryan Young of Crimson King Designs. He uses Club Workshop's Epilog laser engraving machine to make intricate earrings, cuff links...even ties.
"I was laid off around February, and I kind of had to decide what I wanted to do with my life," said Young, a graphic designer by trade. "Club Workshop was pretty cool because they have so many different things. I've taken three or four different classes on things I'd never have been able to use before."
Member Dave Everheart loves to stop by Club Workshop whenever he can.
"I've always had a hidden wood working/metal working gene. I can just go, get in the car, and have at it for hours," Everheart said. "If I went out and bought a power tool every month, it would cost me more than it does to have access to the entire facility."
As a producer/engineer, Everheart is working on an album for a local recording artist. His latest project is a wood acoustic diffuser for the studio. Instead of several hundred dollars, Everheart's spent $7. He also works as a photographer, and created a special ring flash for his camera, using a Bundt pan he found at a thrift store. Professional ring flashes can cost thousands of dollars. Everheart said he spent $10 to build his at Club Workshop.
Garran said his company also saves money by printing its own banners and embroidering employees' shirts.
"It's a great way to beat the recession, great way to learn new skills, great way to get yourself out of the grind of struggling to do things, but not spend a lot of money," said Garran.
Inventors can make their dreams a reality with Club Workshop's state of the art rapid prototype machine. Inventors render their design on the computer then send the specifications to the prototype machine, which builds the test piece out of plastic within ten to 12 hours. A local biotech CEO and snowboard designer are among those using it.
"You take the part out, and it's a fully operational prototype or a test piece that you can take to a design engineer or customer and say, This is how I want this to work," said Garran. "You're not just investing money, you're investing yourself - literally, the sweat equity. The most wonderful thing in the world is, someone invents the world's next greatest widget, turns around and says, Yes, I got started at Club Workshop."
Day passes for Club Workshop cost $49. A twelve-month membership is $89 a month, and punch cards are also available. The workshop offers classes on using all of its equipment, and Garran said employees are always ready to answer questions.
(© MMIX CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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