Hi All
I run a small fine woodworking school north of Leeds and I have to move out of my lovely workshop as the landlord has sold up to property developers; it’s a shame but that’s life I guess. I may have the chance of a new workshop which would be between Halifax and Keighley, just west of Bradford. The potential new place is quite a bit more expensive (almost triple when I take into account business rates, insurance, utilities etc) than my current place but to be fair the rent here hasn’t gone up here for years. My current digs are about 1000 sq ft and the new place is 5000sqft+
I am seriously considering taking the space. – it’s got a nice feel and locale and having looked extensively for 3 months within a 45 min travel radius there really is not much about that is suitable. (I have faced many of the same challenges that a fellow forumer has) I would plan to spread out a bit and also maybe expand the business a little – but I certainly won't need more than 2000 sq ft max. I could afford to cover the rent as is but longer term could handle sharing costs for obvious reasons.
This is where I could do with some UKW collective wisdom: I am considering things such as offering a “bench rental” where designer/makers could rent space and (probably) the use of my larger woodworking machines plus a couple of hundred sq ft. (I even wondered about also offering a 6 month scholarship or prize to one newly qualified designer/makers to help them get going with either zero or very low “rent”.) I want to keep any partnerships small and fine woodwork, hand tool/bespoke furniture orientated. I don’t want someone churning out large numbers of mdf boxes, for example.
I’d really appreciate any thoughts/advice as to 1) pluses and minuses of this “bench rental” idea 2) whether you think there would be a demand for this kind of thing in the Leeds/Bradford/Halifax area 3) how much would/could I charge per month - £300/£400/£500 inclusive? 4) maybe art space instead – would this be less hassle!
I am used to managing multiple users on my machines with appropriate training etc. The new landlord is happy for me to go down this route. There would be a deposit /up-front rent to protect me/ the landlord.
I really like the idea of facilitating other people’s growth and bringing together like minded people… I know – a bit hippyish - but after 25 years in a corporate environment I am very much enjoying doing something different!
I run a small fine woodworking school north of Leeds and I have to move out of my lovely workshop as the landlord has sold up to property developers; it’s a shame but that’s life I guess. I may have the chance of a new workshop which would be between Halifax and Keighley, just west of Bradford. The potential new place is quite a bit more expensive (almost triple when I take into account business rates, insurance, utilities etc) than my current place but to be fair the rent here hasn’t gone up here for years. My current digs are about 1000 sq ft and the new place is 5000sqft+
I am seriously considering taking the space. – it’s got a nice feel and locale and having looked extensively for 3 months within a 45 min travel radius there really is not much about that is suitable. (I have faced many of the same challenges that a fellow forumer has) I would plan to spread out a bit and also maybe expand the business a little – but I certainly won't need more than 2000 sq ft max. I could afford to cover the rent as is but longer term could handle sharing costs for obvious reasons.
This is where I could do with some UKW collective wisdom: I am considering things such as offering a “bench rental” where designer/makers could rent space and (probably) the use of my larger woodworking machines plus a couple of hundred sq ft. (I even wondered about also offering a 6 month scholarship or prize to one newly qualified designer/makers to help them get going with either zero or very low “rent”.) I want to keep any partnerships small and fine woodwork, hand tool/bespoke furniture orientated. I don’t want someone churning out large numbers of mdf boxes, for example.
I’d really appreciate any thoughts/advice as to 1) pluses and minuses of this “bench rental” idea 2) whether you think there would be a demand for this kind of thing in the Leeds/Bradford/Halifax area 3) how much would/could I charge per month - £300/£400/£500 inclusive? 4) maybe art space instead – would this be less hassle!
I am used to managing multiple users on my machines with appropriate training etc. The new landlord is happy for me to go down this route. There would be a deposit /up-front rent to protect me/ the landlord.
I really like the idea of facilitating other people’s growth and bringing together like minded people… I know – a bit hippyish - but after 25 years in a corporate environment I am very much enjoying doing something different!
it looked close on google maps
