paulmcohen wroteIn 1990 when I moved to Portland Oregon from New York, Woodcraft has a local Shopsmith distributor. It was great I could go in and get whatever I needed and people knew how to use and service the equipment. All the classes they taught were offered on the Shopsmith as well as Delta. Once I got a chance to visit the Shopsmith store in Dayton and did not notice much difference than going to my Local Woodcraft. I don't know why Woodcraft stopped carrying Shopsmith. I know the Lowe's relationship did not work out and I am not surprised, I drove several hours with a friend for him to get a Shopsmith and when we arrived no one knew anything about it. Even if they had a machine who would have been able to show it off.
Maybe Shopsmith needs to use the Salad-master sales model and sell local franchises, or hire local commissioned sales people to work with Home Depot. Home Depot does fulfillment and the local representative does the real sale. It could even be a weekend only job, Monday to Friday you can purchase stuff but on weekends there could be an expert on-site to answer questions, and arrange repairs. With all the people buying used equipment it seems like repairs could also be a lucrative add-on business.
Back in the late 80's early 90's Shopsmith opened local stores. At first the closest store was in Atlanta but I would stop there every time I went north. Then they opened a store here in Tampa, (yea!) in probably the worst spot anyone could find to open a store. Had they placed the store anywhere else that one factor would have made a huge difference.
In any case everytime I went to store it seemed to be doing fine. Then things changed, they got a new manager, attitudes changed and the store became a ghost town. I knew the old manager and he was terrific, he told me SS had changed their philosophy. They were replacing woodworkers with marketing experts that would turn the business around.
My last trip to the store, I was in the store for over an hour looking at different things. No one ever came up to me to offer help, in fact they were talking in the service area and didn't seem like they wanted my business. I walked out went down the street and bought the router I had been looking at in SS.
I called SS in Dayton to tell them about my experience and a regional sales manager called me back. After discussing my concerns, observations and such he explained to me I didn't understand marketing. I thanked him and predicted SS would be closing this store with 6 months. Guess what the store closed in about 6 months.
I think Woodcraft began to take over some of the stores but that didn't last long and now SS is back to doing business in Dayton.
I believe if they had done good marketing investigation and placed the store in a place better suited to the customers, and had allowed the dedicated woodworkers to stock and man the store they would still be open.
First everyone knows you have to put a woodworking store next to a store that spouses want to shop. Then the woodworker can shop while the spouse is shopping. Second you have to have people that know woodworking to make sound recommendations. Third you have to offer good prices and great sales to keep the people coming back. Forth you have to offer outstanding plans free or at very reasonable prices to give people a reason to buy more woodworking equipment.
On this point alone SS should learn from Gillette razors. They give the razor away and sell the blades. SS should give the plans aways and sell equipment.
I think that one factor helped SS early on with the Hands-on magazine. Each month it would arrive filled with nice looking pieces. My wife would usually pick out one or two things she wanted built from it. I would usually manage to rangle one or two new tools in trade. Sure there is Hands on on the internet but my wife never gets to see what the SS sitting in the garage can make that she wants.
Even today my wife gets the Wood magazine I have delivered and looks through it to see what she needs built. However as you all know the Wood magazine projects are not aimed at Shopsmith or the things Shopsmith sells.
Ed
