Replies

1. 
   xMikeSmith | Dec 08, 2003 09:01pm | #1

   thanks for the heads up..... i'm outta here..

   damn good store... must be a lousy business...

   Mike Smith   Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

2. 
   BossHog | Dec 08, 2003 09:15pm | #2

   Have you looked at the web page?

   http://www.woodworkerswarehouse.com/

   "Woodworkers Warehouse, Inc.has filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy and will be holding a "Going Out of Business" sale in its stores."

   Q. What is the hardest job in China?

   A. Skywriter.

1. 
   stonebm | Dec 11, 2003 08:35pm | #3

   Let me start by saying that I know how most of the participants at this forum are big fans of Home Depot, Lowes, etc..  I went over to Woodworkers' Warehouse Yesterday and looked at a Milwaukee router- priced at $179 and then 10% off as part of the liquidation.  I went to Home Depot around the corner and found the same router for $158 (not even on sale) plus a $20 HD gift card.  As much as I like Woodworkers' Warehouse, with price differences like that it's not hard to see why they're folding.

1. 
   xMikeSmith | Dec 11, 2003 08:48pm | #4

   i was conscious of that... so i took the sale paper from WWW with me.. and only bought sale items ... and THEN 10%..

    also.. i tried to saty away from the things that everyone carries...

   got the WORD on what really happened.. here's a summation..

    WWW had notes with a bank for revolving credit.... THAT bank was bought by Bank of Boston..... BoB looked over the operation and decided they didn't like it... called the note..

   like most operations.. they couldn't pay off the note, and even though they were current.. it was too bad..

   judge gave them 5 days to find a buyer.. they had 5 offers ( within the 5 day period)..

    BoB refused the offers and sold them to American Liquidators..

    now , that's my story... straight from a knowledgeable employee.. and word of mouth..

    moral:  sometimes ( especially in these days of banks being consolidated ) you never know who you're dealing withMike Smith   Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

1. 
   BillHartmann | Dec 11, 2003 09:11pm | #5

   I don't know much about them, but I remember that they went through this about 4-6 years ago.

   I don' know if they went into bankruptcy or not, but they closed a number of stores and shut down their mailorder business (was it Trendline?).

   Just found this with a google.

   http://www.thedailyitemoflynn.com/news/all_news/lynn_woodworkers12052003.htm

   "LYNN -- It was business as usual at the Woodworkers Warehouse store and company headquarters in downtown Lynn this week, despite the tool retailer's filing for federal bankruptcy protection, according to Jeff Gibbons, chief financial officer at Oasis Development Enterprises, which owns the building.

   Gibbons said the company was already in Chapter 11 in early 2002 when it moved its headquarters from 135 American Legion Highway in Revere to the reconstructed building at 126 Oxford St.

   At the time, Woodworkers Warehouse was a division of Trend-lines, Inc. It separated from Trend-lines and, with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court providing protection from creditors, began to organize its finances.

   The new company became known exclusively as Woodworkers Warehouse, opening a storefront on Munroe Street in July 2002 and settling into its corporate offices on the floor above. Trend-lines was dissolved.

   "As far as I know, they will remain tenants," Gibbons said Thursday. "They were in Chapter 11 for about a year, and few firms come out of it. But maybe they're trying again." "

   This reminds me of the Payless Cashways bankruptcy. They had been in and out of ch 11 for several years. And the signs where spray painted on the walls in daygo yellow, but people where still "surprised" when it happened.

2. 
   csnow | Dec 11, 2003 09:29pm | #6

   Still, competition is a good thing.  There is no way they could compete on price in mass commodities like small power tools, but they carried items you will never see in HD or Lowes.  Sad to see them go.

   If HD decides to sell that router for $189, what will stop them now?

   Internet commerce, I suppose...

   Actually, I have not bought a power tool 'offline' for some time now.  The web consistently beats the big boxes here.

   I have suffered much more from the loss of local hardware stores.  The big box stores have a relatively poor selection when it comes to the 'little stuff', like fasteners, fittings and such.

1. 
   stonebm | Dec 11, 2003 10:03pm | #7

   I'm not happy to see Woodworker's Warehouse going out of business- it just irked me that even their "going out of business" prices are still more than their competition.  I agree that there are a lot of things HD and the like don't carry.  I always liked Woodworker's because they carried a lot of the larger equipment that most big box shoppers have no need for. 

1. 
   NickNukeEm | Dec 12, 2003 12:02am | #8

   They were my last ditch place to go locally for stuff/accessories you won't find elsewhere, blades for the Fein Multimaster, a decent selection of Freud saw blades, 8-hole disks for the Bosch ROS, 5 and 6".  Now I'll have to order well ahead of the time on-line.  I didn't mind paying the premium for something I needed to get a job done.  That option is now gone.  Guess I better plan just a little bit better from now on.

   Ironically, my DW used to take their circular and have me circle everything I wanted for Christmas, etc., and that's where she bought most of my tools.  My shaper for our last anniversary came from there, as did the 6" Delta jointer.

   RIP, WWW, I'm glad I knew ya.

   I never met a tool I didn't like!

2. 
   RalphWicklund | Dec 12, 2003 08:18am | #9

   There's a new kid on the block. New to Jacksonville by about 2 months.

   http://stores.woodcraft.com/

   Looks a lot like WWW and has tons of stuff to drool over. Probably one in everyones neck of the woods - Check out he store location feature.

   Gonna go back a few times and stare at the wood selection. Prices ranging from about $2.50 bd/ft to $44.00 bd/ft.

   Saw a router table that has my name writen all over it - right next to the price tag that screams out "nah, nah, if you're looking at this tag, you can't afford it".

   Here's one for Mike Smith.

   http://stores.woodcraft.com/stores/homestore.asp?Store=535

   Edited 12/12/2003 12:22:42 AM ET by Ralph Wicklund

2. 
   MajorWool | Dec 12, 2003 11:22am | #11

   From csnow:

   Still, competition is a good thing. There is no way they could compete on price in mass commodities like small power tools, but they carried items you will never see in HD or Lowes. Sad to see them go.

   *****************

   They must be really bad at business. Here in Portland we have a Woodcraft retail store, a Rockler, an independent called Woodcrafters, and a couple of Western Tool stores. Then there is Barbo machinery which deals the major pieces of iron. All of these stores have been doing well the 7 years I have been in town. When the woodworking show comes to town, the locals compete head-on with the mail-order places

   For wood, we have woodcrafters, Crosscuts (10x the stuff woodcrafters has) and Gilmer (10x what crosscuts has). All of them are doing well too despite a half dozen HD's and a couple of Lowes.

   If you like wood, take a look at the Gilmer webpage. Imagine 3 large barns full of exotics and you have an idea of their inventory. They have entire trees sawn into 2" planks just sitting on pallets. If any of you ever visit Portland, find a couple of hours just to wander.

   http://www.gilmerwood.com/ This is not a good place to visit with a credit card or blank check.

1. 
   csnow | Dec 12, 2003 05:13pm | #12

   Jealous.

   Woodworker's Warehouse was really the only show in town for that niche in northern NE.

   Plus, no alternative lumber suppliers on that scale...

   Oh well.  At least for the smaller stuff, the net sets the market free!

2. 
   Toolsguy | Dec 12, 2003 09:35pm | #13

   WWW was a good place. I got to know the manager at my local one pretty well and he would match prices pretty fairly if not more than Amazon, HD, Coastal (sometimes).

   Coastal Tool is now my favorite. Actually has been for quite a while now, but WWW was local hence no shipping charges and waiting. Oh well.

3. 
   MisterT | Dec 15, 2003 02:25am | #14

   What a disappointment!

   I will miss WWW.

   But They aint fooling anyone with thier "clearance".

   All the Merchandise is marked with tags saying:10% off , the original price, the discounted price and "No further discounts".

   Every thing that I was interested in was still higher than Toolcrib, with the discount!

   Mr T

   Do not try this at home!

   I am an Experienced Professional!

3. 
   Mongo | Dec 12, 2003 09:46am | #10

   Does it ever figure.

   The local (15 minutes away) Woodworkers Warehouse just started carrying Amana router bits.

   Now they're closing their doors?

   Dang.

   I'm going to head over tomorrow to see what's going on.