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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →TechShop’s ten U.S. locations closed on November 15, 2017. TheShop.Build opened a new San Jose makerspace in August 2018, about nine months later—not a full year after the shutdown. By the November anniversary, Make: founder Dale Dougherty was reporting on the new workshop and the tools it offered local makers.
Why TechShop closed
TechShop had reopened its downtown San Jose facility at 38 South Second Street in July 2017, after moving from its original site near San Jose State University. The member workshop offered professional equipment, classes, instruction, workshops, meetups, and space for projects. The company said its downtown facility included more than $1 million in professional equipment and design software, according to its 2017 announcement.
Just months later, on November 15, TechShop announced that all ten of its U.S. locations would close immediately and that it would file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. The shutdown announcement did not include overseas licensees. CEO Dan Woods said the company had exhausted its funds after months of trying to restructure debt and raise capital. In his statement, he wrote: “We have depleted our funds. We are left with no other options.”
When TheShop.Build opened in San Jose
Dan Rasure opened TheShop.Build in San Francisco in February 2018 and in San Jose in August 2018, according to Dougherty’s November 2018 report. That timing explains the anniversary framing: TheShop.Build was open by the time of the one-year coverage, though it had opened roughly nine months after TechShop’s closure.
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TheShop.Build was a new operation, not a continuation of TechShop as a company. Its September 26, 2018 company release described a subscription-based workshop in North San Jose, with training and access to laser cutters, CNC mills and lathes, and 3D printers. The company presented the space as a mix of makerspace, startup incubator, innovation hub, and membership workshop. That description reflects the company’s own framing.
What was in the workshop
Dougherty’s account described industrial-grade machinery alongside equipment used by hobbyists. He reported that several machines from TechShop San Jose had been bought at auction in June, with additional equipment added to the new space. He also noted that the woodworking area was said to be the most used; that was an observation about the workshop, not a published usage study.
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Contemporary sources gave different figures for the facility’s size. TheShop.Build’s September release described the North San Jose location as 30,000 square feet, while Dougherty reported 56,000 square feet in November. Those figures should remain attributed to their respective sources rather than treated as a single settled measurement.
A maker’s business inside the space
Dougherty’s report also profiled Wyllis Greenway, maker of the Zatoba: a wooden-handled tool that holds a razor blade for scoring artisan bread loaves. Greenway was preparing boxed orders at TheShop.Build during the holiday season. Dougherty reported that Greenway sold the tool through his own website, Williams Sonoma, and Amazon.
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The same 2018 report attributed roughly 10,000 units sold per year and a $25 retail price to Greenway. Those are historical figures from the maker as reported at the time, not current sales or pricing.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the story tells San Jose makers
The closure ended TechShop’s U.S. operation, but the later opening of TheShop.Build showed a new workshop serving local makers through equipment access and training. TechShop officials had reported more than 9,000 active U.S. members and more than 100,000 people engaged since the company opened, according to a 2017 San Francisco Chronicle report. The company’s “engaged” total included memberships, skill-building classes, and K–12 STEAM programs; these were company-reported figures, not independently verified counts.
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The 2018 accounts document a specific transition in San Jose, not the present-day status of either workshop. They do not establish who later occupied the former facilities or which makerspaces are operating now. Anyone assessing a current workshop should verify its location, cost and membership terms, machine inventory, training or certification requirements, hours, and safety practices directly with the operator.
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