: During my work commute (which has gotten longer recently due to road
: construction), I started spinning out scenarios on how to merge my job
: (real estate) with my interest in kayak building. Consider this
: "market research" and your posts (good, bad and ugly) are
: requested: Here goes --
: Background. In many metro areas, the downturn in the economy has created many
: high vacancy situations, most notably in industrial real estate (at least
: in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area). This makes for attractively priced
: lease rates. After securing some modestly priced industrial warehouse
: space, I would offer (for a modest fee) individual boat makers their own
: space (demarcated on the floor) to construct their wooden boats. They
: could be anyone who is pressed for space or doesn't want to slop up their
: living quarters (or whose significant others won't let them slop up their
: living quarters). I envision a sort of "wooden boat building
: incubator", where folks were unified in their hobby and could get
: pointers by a seasoned builder who might be next door.

: Prices would have to be low to make it appealing -- say $100-$150/3 months
: (haven't run the numbers to know if they make sense) with options to buy
: other tools or supplies on site or even rent a boat building
: "toolkit" or the like for an additional fee.

: It sounds like a good idea in theory, but I may just be misjuding the
: interest level that is out there that could support something like this.
: Look forward to reading the responses.

: Greg

Limiting you self to kayak/small boat construction may be a little ... limiting. Although I know of two places in the pacific north wet that do exactly that.
I have heard of a place that rents space to artists and craftsmen. I was trying to look it up but cannot find the site. I beleve that it is called artspace. ( A poster on another fourm was looking to set up a semi-commercial brewery/meadery in one) and apparently another coworker rents space in a similar metal-working co-op.

I personally have the space that i need, and an understanding wife, so that a full time rental is not appealing to me. however occational usage of tools and space might be interesting. for example space and equipment to rip strips would be nice, or the occational use of equipment that I don't have, like a band saw or scroll saw would be nice.