|
|
04/01/2024 |
In 1996, I quit my job and with a partner started a computer consulting company. In 1997 we set up the Museum of Woodworking Tools as a demonstration of the websites we could build for clients. We picked tools because we needed content for our demonstration site, and this was a subject for which I could do a deep, deep dive.
In 1998 we added a very primitive e-commerce portion to the site to show that we could also sell stuff, aka the Museum's gift shop. By the end of 1998, my business partner and I decided to split up the business. I took full custody of the museum in the breakup. In January 1999, my girlfriend (now wife) Sally talked me into a trip to Vietnam, and that was pretty exciting. When we got back in early February, I knuckled down and redid the primitive store to something professional (including a museum exhibit about Vietnamese woodworking). And 25 years ago today, April 1st 1999, Tools For Working Wood went live.
Initially we mostly sold books about tools and a few brands of quality traditional tools. Above is a snapshot of our first page courtesy of the Wayback Machine. By today's standards, it's pretty primitive, but to be fair, back in 1999 most websites were pretty primitive. The fact it worked at all was pretty amazing. The first order for which I have a record for came in on April 6th for four books. The second order came in the next day, April 7th, also for books. Then it was two days more before another order came in. At that point we just didn't have that many tools. I still had a regular computer job, so I would go to work during the day and then in the evening I would work on the website and then pack the occasional order. Once in awhile I would have to go the next day to the post office. As the business expanded throughout 1999, more tools arrived. Some were stored the bedroom closet, some went under the sofa in the living room, some just got piled in the corner (hopefully no one would notice them). Sally and I moved to our current apartment and got married in early 2001 and I started working full time for Tools for Working Wood. By summer of 2001 I was basically making a daily trip to the post office with a little shopping cart full of packages. But I also finally had a deal and FedEx came to my apartment to pick up more packages. We had no venture capital. Sally kept her day job and without this financial support and emotional encouragement I would never been able to get out of the starting gate.
In 2002 we moved to our first real location, an office on 20th street not far from Gramercy Park (memorialized in our the name Gramercy Tools). The place had shelving left over from the previous tenant. Over a weekend or two we moved all the tools to the new place using a big shopping cart and many trips. It was great to get our home back to being our home. The next few years were ones of intensive growth, and the beginnings of making tools. We outgrew our Manhattan office by 2007 and found affordable space in Brooklyn. The move to Brooklyn was when I started this very blog. Here is the first entry about the move. I am happy to say that a quarter century after we started, we are older but still going strong. I can't tell you what the future will bring. I know that woodworking has changed over the years. Certainly activities like spoon-carving and chairmaking are more popular than ever. Our customers are increasingly building modern furniture, but the talent we see in traditional skills continues to amaze me.
Manufacturing tools was always my dream, and we started with our holdfasts, which had to outsource because of the size of the press needed. But even in Manhattan in our tiny little space, we started making our first tools. And that's always been exciting. I've seen our customer base grow up, retire, change, and new people come into the business. It's all exciting. I don't think I'm ever be tired of seeing new people start making things. Or the excitement people get when they get some new tool or toy. It's been 25 years. We owe a lot of debt to friends of ours who helped us in the early days and vendors who sold to us for no reason other than we seemed reasonable. Also we have a great debt to the staff members here, who make the tools, design the tools and packaging, pack the tools, sell the tools. Many of our the employees have been here for years. Without their efforts we would have a fallen apart years ago. And finally I've got to thank our customers. Customers who have the faith that we would follow through. Loyal customers come back again and again and again. Without customers we wouldn't have anything.
Happy anniversary!
|
Join the conversation |
|
Joel's Blog
Built-It Blog
Video Roundup
Classes & Events
Work Magazine
I never knew the museum for woodworking tools site was also by you! I’ve looked at the Vietnam woodworking portions for a a little over a year now for different frame saw designs, wishing I could visit to purchase some hand forged carving gouges and chisels and just learning how woodworking was done in 1990’s Vietnam.