I've cleared many old guys workshops over the years and it's never easy emotionally. But eventually things are sold. The first items are the heartbreaks.
I can't say it in any other way so I'm finished on this. People are being very dismissive about these small businesses like they don't matter like its just a joke. But there real and they won't survive. Would the repair cafe staff go and work for one of these companies for free? Unlikely
Thousands of free workers organised into a well promoted business is a huge threat. Leek bike solutions, pj's garden machinery, Mr sharpy, on the mend and so on and so forth all competitors of the repair cafe. And that's only my town
Bike shops disappearing garment repair disappearing sharpening businesses still around, small electrical repair is disappearing.
Maybe if you thought of small businesses as charities with 100 per cent of the profit going to a good cause that would help. The repair cafe is now big business...
Consider what happens when the bbc decide to cancel this program or worse(much worse) people are once again affluent enough to do what they really want and just "get a new one"
I get fixing stuff for no reward. It's admirable in every way. But once it becomes en mass and organised dare I say businesslike it kills any potential for a meaningful enterprise whilst it exists. Every aspect of every trade could be offered as a free service to all using the huge free retired...
Set up a garage repairing old cars for free. Plenty of retired mechanics around. Rent a unit. Advertise. Free fix for all. You would be the only garage around. And you would be doing poor motorists a huge favour.
I've ruffled the feathers of some people by having an opinion that's different to...
I'm not in the slightest bit bothered about such things as liability, insurance et al! I view it all (rightly or wrongly) as bureaucracy and a good way to stop people doing things. Not my point at all. Humans are the most inventive and creative species until someone does it for them.
Of course meaning if you charged them £30 or a decent sum they would rapidly learn to unblock vacuums.
Like Sikh gurdwara s who provide free food but ended up feeding half Leicesters polish population three meals a day ad infinitum.
So let's see the vacuum cleaner needs unblocking so take it to a free service to unblock. If that isn't the perfect example of why free things result in disabling people not enabling them I can't think of a better example than that.
The issue I found was only a 1/2 inch router is man enough with cheap 1/2 inch cutters. Also beware of nails. I must have hit a dozen. My technique was to cut them and pull them out. Freud worktop cutters were much less chippy than cheap brands.
Not at all. But when things become mass market...one in every town..these always have unforeseen consequences. Often the exact opposite of what's intended.
So if job repairing these valuable "things" isn't worth £20000+ (a living) then that job will die when the retired chaps (doing it for...
Once a skill is devalued to the point when it's free market economics means it will die. Yes you guys may be a hangover from a previous era but if your intention is to upskill then go and teach people under 18 to repair stuff. Run courses where you teach young people to repair stuff.
But charities paying more rent then inflates the market artificially.
If you repair something worth repairing for free nobody will ever learn to repair it thus condemning every item in the future to be landfill. Pay a wage to a person to repair it and people will learn to repair. (Ad infinitum)...