I got an email from Woodcraft today, and now I'm ticked....

[Jim O'Dell]

There has been a Woodcraft store on the west side of Ft. Worth, about 8 minutes from the house. The email says they are moving, to the northeast corner of the city, actually outside Fort Worth city limits. That is about 25 miles away. I rarely go to that side of town for anything. Now I won't have a quick go to place for my finishes. I work about 8 or 9 miles north of the Rockler in Arlington, but not sure how late they are open. I wouldn't be able to get to them until about 6:30. And I wonder if this is a good idea for Woodcraft or not. There was a General dealer out that direction about 5 years ago. They closed down before I had a chance to get into the store to look around. Couldn't have been open a year. Nuts. Jim.

[Jim Underwood]

Your 25 miles is still closer than my 57.5 miles... But I know what you mean. I sure wish it were closer too... But maybe it's a good thing. If it were closer I'd be broke ALL the time...

[Stephen Cherry]

Maybe it's cheaper rent.

[Jeff Monson]

Your 25 miles is still closer than my 57.5 miles... But I know what you mean. I sure wish it were closer too... But maybe it's a good thing. If it were closer I'd be broke ALL the time...

Beats my 246 mile trip all to heck!! I'd be thrilled with a 25 mile trip.

[Ron Griffiths]

I have to drive 75 miles. I usually end up ordering on-line. We use to have one 5 miles from my house.

[Matt Meiser]

Mine is 25 miles, but with Toledo vs. DFW traffic mine would seem a lot closer.

[Rob Matarazzo]

I would be happy with 25 miles. There's nothing around here. The nearest Woodcraft is in Connecticut.

[Larry Browning]

Jim,
I don't think you are going to get much sympathy from those of us who live outside a major metropolitan area. It is nice to be able to put your hands on the stuff you buy before you buy, but it is really not necessary. The internet is a wonderful thing when it comes to woodworking. I visit a good woodworking store maybe twice a year, but I buy stuff from them weekly. Once you get used to the idea, it really is more convenient to order online. It just takes a little more advance planning. You don't have to go anywhere, it comes to you.
As for finishing products, Target Coating is a great place to order on line. It take about a week for an order to arrive. There are other great places to order finishing supplies as well, such as Homestead Finishing, and many many more. Advance planning is the key.

[Phil Thien]

Jim, any idea why they are moving? Maybe they thing the demographics are better (they may already know more of their customers are closer)? Or the rent could be cheaper, as someone mentioned. Or they could be moving the shop closer to an owner's residence?

I'd be curious why they decided to move.

[Keith Outten]

I'm not a big fan of WoodCraft because the Corporate office has not been kind to The Creek. I will say that I do visit and purchase some items from the WoodCraft Store in Norfolk VA a couple times per year, the local Store Manager is a great guy and the Staff is very friendly. The drive is about 30 miles but it takes about 1.5 hours to get there from my home.

Stores don't close up or move if they have the necessary support from the local population. When people visit a store then rush home to purchase on the Internet the store will soon cease to exist. I purchase a lot of items and supplies from Internet sites but I do prefer to patronize a local store when they are available even though I know the price will be higher.
.

[Bill Huber]

Well you know what they say, what is bad for one is good for another. It cuts the mileage down by about 10 miles, but it is harder to get to and with the construction going on with 183 it will take me longer to get there.
I am just wondering why they are doing it, moving from Fort Worth to Hurst, maybe it is the taxes or something like that.

[Myk Rian]

I go to the local Marsh Power Tools store. About 10 miles, and they carry Rockler products.
Woodcraft is 50 miles to the closest of 4 stores. Rarely do I get to one.

[Kevin Bourque]

There's a simple solution: Move closer.

[Jon Wilson]

Just Sayin...

[Gordon Eyre]

Think how you would have felt if they just moved and didn't tell you. :-)