{"id":37967,"date":"2022-10-10T18:31:21","date_gmt":"2022-10-10T22:31:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/?p=37967"},"modified":"2022-10-10T18:31:21","modified_gmt":"2022-10-10T22:31:21","slug":"entrepreneur-plans-to-open-woodworking-shop-that-people-can-use-for-projects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2022\/10\/entrepreneur-plans-to-open-woodworking-shop-that-people-can-use-for-projects\/","title":{"rendered":"Entrepreneur Plans To Open Woodworking Shop That People Can Use For Projects"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Former Saratoga Children\u2019s Museum is being converted for a new venture.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By Paul Post<\/p>\n

John Haller never eases into anything.<\/p>\n

Fresh out of RPI, he co-founded MapInfo, a tech-based company that quickly grew to 1,000 employees, went public and is now a division of Pitney-Bowes. Then he launched SportsSignUp, an online firm designed to help groups create, grow and manage youth sports programs. It was purchased by Time Inc. and is now called Sports Illustrated Play.<\/p>\n

But upon moving to Saratoga Springs, Haller purchased a grand old Victorian home on Union Avenue, and while helping out with renovations he discovered a brand new passion for woodworking.<\/p>\n

Leaving software development behind, he\u2019s made an 180-degree about face by jumping into a more blue collar, hands-on type venture called Saratoga Joinery.\u00a0 <\/span>Plans call for converting the former Saratoga Children\u2019s Museum at 69 Caroline St., which he purchased for $2 million, into a full-scale community woodworking shop for people to gather, learn about this activity and work on projects of their own.<\/p>\n

Much like tech development, Haller said woodworking involves great deal of creative problem solving, just the kind of challenge he enjoys tackling.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the end, with software, you have something that works, a program,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat\u2019s cool with woodworking is that you have something you can actually show people they can understand, like a piece of furniture, something you built. You get to use your hands, feel things, smell things. I find that really super.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/span>If all goes according to plan, the nonprofit firm will open early next year, but it won\u2019t be easy because converting a former museum into a machine shop is no easy task. Electrical systems must be upgraded to support large equipment and there are also strict requirements for dust collection and air quality.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to come up with plans to meet code, submit them to the city and get them approved,\u201d Haller said. \u201cWe\u2019re at the mercy of so many people right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

The first floor will house a machine shop where people can use a table saw, planer, drill press and joiner. Then they\u2019ll go upstairs to work on projects in a bench shop, with 12 to 15 individual stations.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe equipment is very important,\u201d he said. \u201cThe better and sharper the equipment is, the safer it is to use and the better your product comes out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Haller plans to hire full-time safety staff to monitor activity at all times, so no one is ever working alone.<\/p>\n

Last winter, he took a three-month class at the renowned Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Rockport, Maine, which allowed him to see how a first-class shop operates.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was amazing,\u201d Haller said. \u201cWe showed up at 8:30 a.m. and stayed till 6:30 p.m. There was class work and shop time. Teachers roamed around and helped us out. That total immersion was really neat. I got to see what happens when you put people with a common interest together. It\u2019s so much more than a YouTube video. It\u2019s interactive, you\u2019re getting feedback. You get to see what other people are doing. It was really great and I made a lot of friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI also got to see how a shop works with 12 people using it at the same time,\u201d he said. \u201cHow to keep things safe; how to prevent bottlenecks when everybody wants to use a table saw.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Caroline Street location provides easy, walkable access to downtown, which he hopes will help integrate the Joinery into Saratoga\u2019s arts community. He also sees possible synergies between the shop and the large Northeastern Woodworkers Association Showcase and Fine Woodworking Show, held each year in March at the Saratoga City Center.<\/p>\n

Haller has actually created two different entities to get the enterprise up and running. One is called 69 Caroline LLC, which owns the building. Saratoga Joinery is a separate nonprofit firm, which will run the operation.<\/p>\n

In essence, Haller is fronting costs during the venture\u2019s early stages, with hopes that it will eventually be self-sustaining.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re trying to give it the best chance of success by not having the burden of massive rent,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m buying the building and making it available for free to the non-profit until it gets some legs under it and can pay some rent. We need memberships. It\u2019s going to take time before we get enough revenue to pay all the salaries, electricity and overhead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had good business fortunes over the years,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s what I want to try to do for the community. So we\u2019re giving it infusion to get it up and running properly. It\u2019s going to be a neat place with great equipment. But at some point it\u2019s got to make enough money to pay for its own expenses.\u201d<\/p>\n

Haller also envisions the shop as a place where woodworkers join forces on projects to benefit the community, such as park benches. His wife, Michelle, works for an Albany-based nonprofit called The Red Bookshelf, a literacy program that provides free children\u2019s books on bright red bookshelves to ensure that all kids can own a book, regardless of income level.<\/p>\n

Possibly, local companies will provide funding to buy lumber for such projects while the Joinery covers the expense of actual production, he said.<\/p>\n

Whether building a birdhouse or nice furniture, Haller simply wants to provide a place where others can experience the joy of woodworking he\u2019s found.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never thought of myself as artistic or creative, but everybody is,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s fun to be in an environment where you can express that. While up in Maine, away from my normal demands of home, I learned that I do have patience, that I can sand something for six hours because I\u2019ve got nothing else to do. I was never willing to devote that amount of time to things before.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust like any hobby you get into, the more you dig into woodworking the more fascinating it gets in terms of wood grain and techniques for joining things. There are different magazines, lots of videos. There\u2019s so much information and neat tools. It\u2019s really just fun to learn more and push yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Paul Post John Haller never eases into anything. Fresh out of RPI, he co-founded MapInfo, a tech-based company that quickly grew to 1,000 employees, went public and is now a division of Pitney-Bowes. Then he launched SportsSignUp, an online firm designed to help groups create, grow and manage youth sports programs. It was purchased […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":89,"featured_media":37968,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37967","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-news"],"yoast_head":"\r\nEntrepreneur Plans To Open Woodworking Shop That People Can Use For Projects - Saratoga Business Journal<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2022\/10\/entrepreneur-plans-to-open-woodworking-shop-that-people-can-use-for-projects\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Entrepreneur Plans To Open Woodworking Shop That People Can Use For Projects - Saratoga Business Journal\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Paul Post John Haller never eases into anything. Fresh out of RPI, he co-founded MapInfo, a tech-based company that quickly grew to 1,000 employees, went public and is now a division of Pitney-Bowes. Then he launched SportsSignUp, an online firm designed to help groups create, grow and manage youth sports programs. 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