The new Members Workshop at 2128 City View Drive is like the Anytime Fitness of tools.
Instead of paying a monthly membership to work on your body, Members Workshop allows customers to pay for a monthly membership to work on projects.
Whether it is woodworking, laser engraving, sewing or painting, the Members Workshop is not simply a place to build, but a place to be artistic.
Jared Walther – the owner and self-described custodian, invited in some of the shop’s first members in November, but began properly opening the space on March 8 with tours and social media posts.
He had known of similar spaces in Madison run as nonprofits, but he went a different route with his business. Walther, who works as a freelancer in the AV world – working with large speakers, projectors and more, has always been interested in creating.
“I’ve basically always been interested in making stuff all the way back when I was a kid, whether woodworking, electronics or art,” he said.
Although he owns a house now, Walther remembers space constraints limiting what he could and could not work on. Even now, he understands people fill garages with kids’ stuff or other items and find it difficult to find space to work on items like cabinets or artwork.
The Members Workshop aims to be a one-stop shop for all of that.
Not only does it offer tools like bench presses, drill presses and a laser engraver, but the 6,000-square-foot space also offers storage options, so projects and materials can stay onsite. Walther also offers studio spaces so people can set up a workshop within the workshop.
“(That’s) ideal for people to run their own small business but do not want the overhead to run their own building,” Walther said. “So, in that sense, it’s kind of a coworking space as well.”
To use the shop, customers pay monthly membership beginning at $100 per month, which can be paused at any time. The workshop is open from 6 a.m. to midnight, and during the week, Walther may be on site to help makers. Customers can use a key fob to get in whenever they need it.
“You can show up here and just get started on work; there’s no shuffling around and trying to make room for anything,” Walther said. “It’s just ready to go, and it’s amazing what that does for the speed and satisfaction for projects.”
Those who buy memberships need to tour the shop and attend a four-hour orientation. Walther shows people through the space and new customers build a charcuterie board to take home. The project also helps the information stick.
Down the road, he hopes to offer educational classes.
Opening the shop has been a nearly five-year process. Walther wanted to begin traveling less with his freelance work and is pivoting to the shop.
And so far, he feels like the decision has been a good one.
“What I’m selling is tools and space for people’s creative projects,” Walther said. “Whether personal or small business ventures, it is about the tools, but also about the space. It is work benches and wide–open space. So, people can do things that are impractical at an apartment or home workshop.”
He also points out how the shop is a recreational mixed media shop. It is not just for woodworking, though about 70-80% of the tools inside apply to woodworking. But he has a laser engraver and room just for sewing and painting.
Plus, the appeal of the space is how friendly it feels with natural light, being next to Wisco Kidz Place (where he said he and friends will rotate in and out of, so someone watches the kids while others get to work on projects).
“Location selection was deliberate,” Walther said. “I wanted something to feel friendly and inviting and well lit. There’s an intimidation factor with this stuff and I wanted to lower those barriers.
“Others I’ve toured in-state and out-of-state tend to be in industrial parks. I knew that wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted a nice, friendly place. Setting it up in a brand-new warehouse in the east side of Madison is serving well.”
