Covid19 is really mucking up my business

[orpheo]

Orpheo, you are Dutch? maybe we chatted about this before -man, your country needs more of your Dutch made guitars -I'm amazed at how almost no guitar shops in Amsterdam or Rotterdam carry any Dutch or European made guitars. Pretty much all asian imports or American -I know it's the way of the world, but it's sad.

Yup, Dutch!

I know that's the case but Dutch-made guitars just aren't cheap and guitar stores 'need' the cheaper guitars because those sell easier. It's a perpetual battle against consumerism and it's a battle I don't have the energy to fight anymore, hahah!!

[NegativeEase]

Yup, Dutch!

I know that's the case but Dutch-made guitars just aren't cheap and guitar stores 'need' the cheaper guitars because those sell easier. It's a perpetual battle against consumerism and it's a battle I don't have the energy to fight anymore, hahah!!

It sucks, not one store I went into the last 2 times I was there had a single new Dutch/local made guiter out of a dozen stores.

closest was a vintage Czech semi hollowbody guitar (can't remember the name but pretty cool), a Shaftesbury British guitar (but turns out made in Japan), and the only new guitars I could find in Netherlands was new Lowden Acoustics made in Ireland (but come to find out most are now built in Australia)

[JB_From_Hell]

The alternative to your situation is work for a company who, aside from myriad new rules on cleaning, wearing masks, etc... basically acts like everything is the same as it always was.

As an aside, my store comped 48% in January. For those who don’t know, that means we had 48% higher sales than last year in the same time. However, sales targets are purely arbitrary numbers, so we ended up missing target.

[orpheo]

The alternative to your situation is work for a company who, aside from myriad new rules on cleaning, wearing masks, etc... basically acts like everything is the same as it always was.

As an aside, my store comped 48% in January. For those who don’t know, that means we had 48% higher sales than last year in the same time. However, sales targets are purely arbitrary numbers, so we ended up missing target.

Yeah, do that and be fined into oblivion. The fine itself is for me already+- 15% of my annual revenue.

[jeremy]

The alternative to your situation is work for a company who, aside from myriad new rules on cleaning, wearing masks, etc... basically acts like everything is the same as it always was.

maybe they can get away with that there, but there are plenty of places that will get you shutdown and/or fined real quick

[JB_From_Hell]

I meant that we have all sorts of rules about masks and cleaning now, but aside from that, they're behaving as if everything's normal.

That still wasn't very clear... we all wear masks, the customers have to, and we have to clean everything every 2 hours.

[orpheo]

The problem isn't that I am not living by the rules of social distancing etc; it's that closing the workshop complex is to prevent people from loitering inside. So even if I were to douse myself in soap constantly, live in a hazmat suit: it still wouldn't matter.

[NegativeEase]

The problem isn't that I am not living by the rules of social distancing etc; it's that closing the workshop complex is to prevent people from loitering inside. So even if I were to douse myself in soap constantly, live in a hazmat suit: it still wouldn't matter.

It's a shared workshop right? can you do some tasks there in off hours and do the rest at home?

Is there no compromise you can work out for continuing with your guitar making?

Got to be some way to keep going I hope

[orpheo]

It's a shared workshop right? can you do some tasks there in off hours and do the rest at home?

Is there no compromise you can work out for continuing with your guitar making?

Got to be some way to keep going I hope

well, it's a big complex with 36 individual smaller workshops. I can't even enter the complex let alone my own studio, haha! And I need that place to carve tops, shape necks etc: all the stuff that makes way too much dust to do at home. The entire complex is locked, so even sneaking in is not possible without breaking and entering :P

I can't do it at work either because the factory just isn't designed to handle wood and you don't want wood dust all over the factory floor. Besides, all my materials are, you guessed it, in my workshop studio. All I have at home are just a few fretboards and older guitars that can use some refinishing here and there.

[NegativeEase]

well, it's a big complex with 36 individual smaller workshops. I can't even enter the complex let alone my own studio, haha! And I need that place to carve tops, shape necks etc: all the stuff that makes way too much dust to do at home. The entire complex is locked, so even sneaking in is not possible without breaking and entering :P

I can't do it at work either because the factory just isn't designed to handle wood and you don't want wood dust all over the factory floor. Besides, all my materials are, you guessed it, in my workshop studio. All I have at home are just a few fretboards and older guitars that can use some refinishing here and there.

That's quite a pickle. Damn.

[orpheo]

Small update.

I have been hit with Covid19 last few weeks. I didn't need to go to the hospital but it was close. If this is what dying feels like, I seriously wish to postpone this feeling for as long as possible. I don't wish this upon my worst enemy.

My taste and sense of smell are almost back to where they're supposed to be, but running marathons won't happen for a while. My lungs are fairly clean again, so that's good but I'm just so tired all the time. I'm exhausted. I tried to CNC some designs, just to get back in the game, but I just can't.

I suppose this is the crux of being a one man shop. I can't go on at the moment. I need some rest, I need to get up on top of my 'game'. I have to postpone everything till further notice. I will continue in the future, sooner rather than later, but right now, I just can't. I'm exhausted, physically and emotionally. I hope I can be forgiven for the delays by everybody who ordered an instrument.

[playas]

Really sorry to hear that orpheo.

Just concentrate on getting yourself well and try not to put pressure on yourself to do things that your body isn't yet capable of.

I've heard of a lot of people with general weariness lasting after the rest of the effects have gone. How long depends on the person.

I imagine even the simplest of things can be a big pita with a lack of energy so try and keep your spirits up in the meantime.

Good luck and I hope you recover quickly.

[Adieu]

Couldn't you rent a garage or shed or barn or something?

I mean, before the whole getting covid yourself thing. What stopped you? Prohibitive prices? Ridiculous overregulation?

[orpheo]

Couldn't you rent a garage or shed or barn or something?

I mean, before the whole getting covid yourself thing. What stopped you? Prohibitive prices? Ridiculous overregulation?

The closure of my workshop complex was one that happened within an hour, without warning. The government said: and by 2200hrs tonight, it's all CLOSED. How was I supposed to move my ENTIRE shop to a garage box? Remember, I live in the Netherlands in an urban area; things like barns and sheds just aren't a thing here. I simply couldn't get into the shop. We're slowly seeing some restrictions ease but now that's to no use to me because I can hardly lift a plate of food let alone a guitar, haha. I need a walking cane to walk thanks to covid.

My tablesaw weighs over 450 kilo's. My work bench is over 200 kilo's, my thickness sander weighs over 180kg's. My bandsaw weighs over 120kg's. That's just the machinery. Not to mention all the jigs, small and large dust extraction, the 380V I needed for some machines, the licenses to do what I do where I do it (noise pollution, dust pollution etc). It's not like packing up a suitcase full of stuff and get going somewhere else.

[GuitarStv]

The closure of my workshop complex was one that happened within an hour, without warning. The government said: and by 2200hrs tonight, it's all CLOSED. How was I supposed to move my ENTIRE shop to a garage box? Remember, I live in the Netherlands in an urban area; things like barns and sheds just aren't a thing here. I simply couldn't get into the shop. We're slowly seeing some restrictions ease but now that's to no use to me because I can hardly lift a plate of food let alone a guitar, haha. I need a walking cane to walk thanks to covid.

My tablesaw weighs over 450 kilo's. My work bench is over 200 kilo's, my thickness sander weighs over 180kg's. My bandsaw weighs over 120kg's. That's just the machinery. Not to mention all the jigs, small and large dust extraction, the 380V I needed for some machines, the licenses to do what I do where I do it (noise pollution, dust pollution etc). It's not like packing up a suitcase full of stuff and get going somewhere else.

When are they reopening?