04/23/2024
This post is not for sympathy, only to raise awareness!
It's the oddest feeling waking up on a Monday and not having to go to work. Like for real, this is the first time it has ever happened to me like this and I do not entirely know how to feel about it. I have never been unemployed in my career let alone not having the shop up and running either. So for me it's a lot to digest in a short period of time but I'll try to manage as many of my thoughts into sentences as possible:
1) yes, stage is closed temporarily due to loss of lease. We use the term temporarily because the desire to keep going is still there even though small business is excessively rough as of recently. But i should point out that stage received 5 days notice of our requirement to vacate, so there wasn't time to secure a plan B.
2) What happened? Well, this is a tricky question. Long story short is the shop didn't really ever make enough money to support itself in the larger bellevue location. We aimed high to grow into a larger spot but learned quickly that our customer base doesn't need that large of a facility if it translates into higher costs even if one of those benefits is space and personnel. Arguably the current affairs of the economy and world play a part in that as well as typically mechanics are recession proof. Once back rent got too excessive the lease was gone. We would have downsized in August anyway as the numbers didn't suggest staying in the larger facility made any sense but even though the bleeding stopped early it doesn't mean that everything is OK and we can just start new elsewhere. As they always say, gotta spend money to make money and when there is none to spend, the first step of the process never gets going.
3) What about all the guys? What are you going to do? Everyone has been laid off including myself. I suppose we'll rejoin the workforce in some way. Maybe it'll be with stage again, maybe not.
4) How do you feel about it Chris?
Well not very good to be honest. I've never failed before so that's probably the hardest part of this whole thing to absorb.
I can still be reached by email for ongoing support
Video of pre-move in for fun
Thanks as always,
Chris
