TechShop’s Crystal City makerspace closes as company shuts down all locations

Industrious DIYers are lamenting today after TechShop announced it is closing makerspaces across the country. This includes its Arlington, Va., location in Crystal City.

As of Nov 15, 2017—TechShop, Inc. and US locations are closed. Making requires curiosity, creativity, and courage.… https://t.co/oVGzrFOuYV

— Maker Moves (@MakerMoves) November 15, 2017

According to Makezine, members received a letter on Wednesday detailing reasons for the closure of its 10 nationwide locations. The 11-year-old company is filing for bankruptcy after “operating on exceedingly low cash balances for quite some time now,” CEO Dan Woods wrote.

Until recently, this meant late payment to instructors and vendors, which none of us liked, but at least we were able to pay everyone, albeit several weeks late, and keep the doors open,” he wrote. “…However, this cannot go on any longer.”

The Arlington location opened in 2014 amid tech growth in the area. Members paid a monthly fee and then got access to the tools at the 20,000 sq. ft. shop. It had a wood shop, 3D printers and the ever-popular laser cutter, as well as access to computers and design software.

With the closing, a full company history is now at TechShop’s homepage.

For those looking for a new place to build, D.C. is home to plenty of homegrown makerspaces, as A Creative DC details.