it was suggested by another business owner that starting a diary of sorts would be beneficial. this seems as good a place as any to attempt something like this.
starting from the beginning...
i began moving into the hildebrandt building in early january of 2015. many friends and family assisted in the process of building the tool benches and bike benches, general set-up, and the tedious hanging of tools on the pegboards. but none helped more than wilson and shel. i owe a lifetime of gratitude to both for the sheer amount of hours of manual labor they put in.
by march, i announced (via facebook) that i was ready to start welcoming in customers to come work on their bikes. the first person to use my garage was fred. fred works as a handyman here at the building and had just bought an old school minibike (probably from the 70s) and a pocket-rocket. neither were running. i wasn't much help to fred, unfortunately. but then nickgyver, a guy that lived across the street and RODE ALL WINTER, came in to do some needed maintenance on his old kawasaki and he immediately took up the task of also helping out fred. his ability to solve problems in the true macgyver sense became evident quite quickly. it took a good month or so, but fred finally got his little bikes running (mostly for his kids), and nick has since moved to the other side of town. but nick has been back a few times to change tires (a disaster because his old kawi has those damned rim locks, with which neither of us had any experience). i didn't charge fred or nick for the time they spent in the garage. nick did throw me a 20 here and there without my asking, which was nice. and being that fred works here at the hildebrandt, he's done me countless favors and has more than paid for the time he spent here.
mark and amanda found me via facebook months and months before i actually opened. i had been talking about getting this garage open for quite a while, and he connected with me through a mutual friend. interestingly, mark has his own garage and his own tools and enough knowledge to do the work he came here to do. i believe he just wants to help support a local business that has interests similar to his own. we changed the tires on amanda's suzuki, changed the oil, bled the brakes, and surely a few other things that i don't remember. mark and amanda are my first membership buying customers that used the garage (i have a few VERY gracious friends that bought memberships at the onset mainly because they are good friends and want to see me succeed - but they have yet to come in and wrench on their bikes).
i had my official grand opening early may, and although 350 people were in attendance, it did not result in many new customers. i hired lauren to plan the event, and she hit a home-run. she will forever plan future events for me.
however, a few days before the grand opening, nich (pronounced nick) called me after stumbling across my website. he came to the grand opening and a week later i went to his house to pick up his 78 cb750 - the only bike i know inside and out, thankfully. nich is very much into knowledge, and he knows his shit regarding electricity. he removed and took apart just about everything on his bike save the engine. he paid me up front for a year membership and then some. he has religiously come to the garage at least two or three times a week since early may. he has learned how to do many tasks, and simultaneously taught me about electricity. he has brought his friends in with him to help, and has consistently offered to help anyone else working in the garage. his bike is running well and ready to go, but he wants to do little customizations here and there. so thankfully, he still comes in once or twice a week.
zuba called me one day and had me come to his flat to pick up two 30 year old cb750s. he lived on the 2nd or 3rd floor, so we had to roll them to the elevator, down a flight of stairs, and into my truck. he has been hanging out here making one solid rider out of two almost-solid bikes. the dude's an artist and has crazy vision and unique taste. he took the forks from one and put them on the other. he cleaned out and maybe even switched carbs. he installed a new chain and sprockets. he even chopped his seat to make it a single - hand sewing the back of the seat to complete it. he uses this space to make some of his art, beyond just working on the motorcycles - which i love. he bought a month up front, and then had to buy a second month when things didn't get finished as quickly as he had hoped. sadly, zuba is moving to new york in a few minutes - not sure when i'll see that cat again after he bails.
joe found me and brought in yet another cb750 - this time a 1975. he has dismantled the entire thing, down to bare frame, and is heading toward the restoration with minor modifications direction. we encountered stuck bolts like i've never experienced on a motorcycle. heat, hammers, and pb did zero for these. these were engine mount bolts, too. lots of dremel time and drilling time ensued. joe is an accountant and a bartender at a happening joint around the corner from the hildebrandt. he doesn't get the opportunity to spend time in here like he would prefer. but when he comes in, he goes to town. i may just buy him a dremel for his birthday. we got the valve cover off the top of the engine the other night. he's gonna take the frame to get powder-coated, soon. he bought a three month membership - and since he's a vet, he got a discount.
sarah cuts my hair and has been talking about getting a motorcycle for about a year. she got her temps and was holding off on buying a bike till a great deal came along. i found an old cm400 for 300 bucks and just transferred it over to her. she has taken much of it apart, cleaned, and de-spidered her bike. she's painting parts as she sees fit while she waits for the correct parts to arrive. sarah has big plans for the appearance of this perfect starter bike - i can't wait to see it when it's done. she bought a month, but it looks like she'll need to buy another. she is more than willing to get dirty and takes directions well. sarah also has two jobs, and can't get in here more than once or twice a week, but she is always down to stay super late, which fits perfectly with my schedule. she often doesn't leave till 2am on a school night.
by chance, i met dani of disowned customs working out of his driveway - and winning bike building awards while doing so. he took a look at the garage and decided to move his operation into skidmark - thank zeus. he has been here about a month and builds/welds/helps non-stop. he is a social media force and has gotten the two of us plenty of media attention. i hope he stays for a long time - or at least as long as he can before growing too large for skidmark. i'm not charging him dick for rent because he's so willing to help all the skidmark members, and also because having him here means i don't have to be here 18 hours a day. his presence is not quantifiable - how do i measure the fact that having him here allows me to have an iota of a social life? and it's not like he's drinking all my beer...
there have been a few other dudes that came in and paid by the hour to get some quick things taken care of - but because i was not keeping a "diary", i don't have their names. one was a rear shock change on harley as i was about to lock up for the night, the other was some carb work on a 72 cb350. both were fun and fast and i hope to see those guys, again.
the lounge has turned into exactly what i envisioned. guys from all over the building come here to chill and have a beer on a daily basis. but i think i will need to add more bays soon - effectively killing the lounge area. we'll see.
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