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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchTechShop closed its ten U.S. locations on November 15, 2017, after saying it had run out of funds. TheShop.Build opened a new San Jose facility in August 2018—about nine months later, not a full year after the shutdown. By the time Make: founder Dale Dougherty reported from the space that November, it offered a new place for local makers to use fabrication equipment and receive training.
Why TechShop closed its U.S. locations
TechShop had reopened its downtown San Jose workshop in July 2017 at 38 South Second Street, after moving from its original 2011 site near San Jose State University. The company described a membership-based workshop offering professional equipment, classes, workshops, meetups, instruction, and project space. Its 2017 announcement then brought the U.S. operation to an abrupt end: all ten U.S. locations closed effective November 15, and the company said it would file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.
In its closure statement, CEO Dan Woods said TechShop had depleted its funds after months of trying to restructure debt and raise capital. “We are left with no other options,” he wrote. The announcement concerned TechShop’s U.S. locations; overseas licensees were outside its scope. The company had previously said its downtown San Jose site contained more than $1 million in professional equipment and design software, a company-reported figure rather than an independent valuation.
What opened in San Jose in 2018
Dan Rasure opened TheShop.Build in San Francisco in February 2018 and in San Jose in August 2018, according to Dougherty’s November account. The San Jose facility was a new operation, not a continuation of TechShop as a company. TheShop.Build described its own subscription-based model, combining a makerspace and membership workshop with training and education. Rasure characterized the business as a startup incubator and innovation hub as well.
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The company’s September 26, 2018 press release placed the San Jose facility at 401 Charcot Avenue in North San Jose and described it as 30,000 square feet. Dougherty’s November 2018 report described the space he visited as 56,000 square feet. Those contemporaneous accounts give different sizes, so neither figure should be treated as a settled measurement without further evidence.
Equipment, training, and the makers who used the space
TheShop.Build’s company release listed access to laser cutters, CNC machine tools including mills and lathes, and 3D printers, alongside training and education. Dougherty reported that some machines from TechShop San Jose had been bought at auction in June, while TheShop.Build also brought in additional industrial-grade equipment. He noted that the woodworking area was said to be the most used; that was an observation reported during his visit, not an independently audited usage study or inventory.
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Dougherty’s visit also showed how a shared workshop could support an individual maker’s business. Baker and toolmaker Wyllis Greenway was preparing holiday shipments of the Zatoba, a wooden-handled razor blade used to score loaves before baking. Dougherty reported in 2018 that Greenway sold it through his own site, Williams Sonoma, and Amazon, and attributed to Greenway sales of about 10,000 units a year at a $25 retail price. Those are historical figures from the maker as reported at the time—not current sales or pricing information.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the opening meant for San Jose makers
For people looking for access to workshop equipment after TechShop’s closure, TheShop.Build’s opening meant a new local facility with a different operator and a subscription-based model. It did not restore TechShop itself, and the available 2018 accounts do not establish the terms of membership, machine certification requirements, operating hours, or how the new facility compared with TechShop on cost or access.
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The chronology is also worth keeping precise. Dougherty wrote in November 2018 that “A year after TechShop’s sudden closing, there’s a wave of good news to be found.” That was anniversary-era framing: TheShop.Build’s San Jose opening had occurred in August, roughly nine months after the November 2017 closure, rather than twelve months afterward.
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Sources
- Dale Dougherty’s November 2018 report for Make: account of his visit, TheShop.Build, and maker Wyllis Greenway.
- TheShop.Build’s September 26, 2018 press release: company description of the facility, equipment, and business model.
- TechShop’s November 15, 2017 closure statement: announcement of U.S. closures and the company’s explanation.
- TechShop’s 2017 press release: description of its downtown San Jose reopening and equipment investment.
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