Hi,
My name is Blue Lee and I just signed up. Im looking to see if anyone is available to help me gain access to your wonderful building so I may commence project stuff.
I work night shift at a hospital so evenings and nights are best. But I wonder if there are always people in and out that are available to answer the door if I show up?
Right now it’s a bit special. They are working on leveling the foundation, and they’ve dug a hole in front of our main door. They did cover it with some plywood, but that’s too thick and we can’t open the door with the plywood in place.
I’ll be here until 1 pm. Could you make it up here by, say 12:45 at the latest?
How are people getting in you cant open the door? Is there another entry point?
If you mean 1AM, Im about an hour away so I wouldnt be able to make that time frame.
I did mean 1 am. Is this the normal time you usually get off work?
Im off tonight and tomorrow. My hours are weird, night shifts on the weekends and an evening shift during the week.
The back doors still work. Although, the only door bell is on the main front door. Tomorrow is weird for me – I’m going to Ft Worth most of the evening. Let’s see who responds tomorrow before we talk about Friday.
Will there be any members available to open the door on Thursday Oct 12 after 5 or 6 pm?
I can try and be the to help any time today (the 12th) if we schedule it. If you want to do 5 or 6 pm that is fine. My schedule is pretty flexible.
There was a time when there were consistently people around to help new members with keys and tours from mid-morning until well past midnight on most days.
Maybe the pandemic changed that. Maybe the work-from-home culture made people get better network connections at home so they quit using DMS as a co-working space. They do not commute to their office so they do not drop by on their way home. Perhaps the high price for gas keeps people away. The numbers began dropping months before the pandemic hit, so the pandemic cannot get all of the blame.
Part of it has to be the lower cost of 3-D printers so joining a makerspace is now less necessary than before.
Maybe the poor economy put food, transportation and shelter well before makerspace.
David Kessinger used to post membership numbers regularly and point out that churn is a serious persistent problem. Because of him, I still look at the numbers. We are currently at 1521. The count dropped to well below 1300 during the pandemic shutdown; it has not been able to break through the mid 1500s since.
http://accounts.dallasmakerspace.org/member_count.php?total
Some people had argued that we were in danger of saturating our “service area.” I had argued that adding capabilities will expand our potential member base. However, adding lapidary, glassworks, print making and plastics do not seem to have helped the numbers much. If not for an active Ceramics group, the numbers may well be quite lower.
http://accounts.dallasmakerspace.org/member_count.php?text
gives an interesting breakdown of the various rate classes. We used to have ten lifetime members. I wonder who dropped off…
I’ve been told those numbers are inaccurate. We are actually hovering in the mid 1700’s or so.
I’d say things are picking back up. As of last nights board meeting, this past month there was 100 paid honorariums. 80 direct & 20 donated.
Jewelry had a full class last night, ceramics also appeared to have 1 or 2 classes going on last night.
Bill you should come back in more often.
Please note that people can’t currently come to the front door, but will need to meet at one of the back doors. Our lovely foundation crew has put a hole right in front of the front door. And, it looked like they were working in front of the arcade/Digital Media door this afternoon when we pulled in.
I did not get a response so I am not planning on being there tonight
Im sorry Shane, I woke up a half hour ago and was reading through the messages. My work hours are weird, sometimes I work through the night until 10am, so my sleep times are off. I was also considering if Im coming from Fort Worth, how bad the traffic will delay me. I appreciate your effort.
Can you be there at 7-8 tonight?
I am sorry my wife and I made other plans.
Moving on to Friday – I will be here from 2-3 pm, and then probably after 6 pm until 12:30 am.