Interesting article on what’s happening with the former Tech Shop in St. Louis.
Jim McKelvey is the founder of Square, and a dedicated maker (and a St. Louis boy!). When Tech Shot went belly up, he assumed the lease for the building and the payments on the equipment to keep the St. Louis location open while he tried to figure out what to do next. His goal was to keep the location open so that folks could finish their projects and Christmas gifts until he figured out what to do next.
Well, he’s found a solution.
Interesting aside on Jim: He’s a HUGE maker. In addition to his software chops (which are serious), he’s a dedicated woodworker and glass blower, and even wrote a textbook on how to blow glass. He invented Square because there wasn’t a good way for the artists he supported at a glass-blowing artist’s space in STL to sell their work and accept credit card payments.
Also some interesting information on Tech Shop in the articles. Apparently they leased most of their gear, which would explain some of the financial pressures they faced in keeping the place running.