TechShop
A former American chain of membership-based makerspaces and fabrication workshops.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
TechShop was an American chain of open-access makerspaces that combined membership-based workshop facilities, fabrication equipment, technical instruction, and community programming. The company was created in response to a practical problem faced by hobbyists, inventors, students, and small businesses: sophisticated tools were expensive, difficult to access, or unavailable outside industrial and academic settings. Founder Jim Newton, a robotics educator and former science adviser to the television program MythBusters, wanted a place where people could pursue personal projects with professional-grade equipment. Co-founders Ridge McGhee and Robert Thomas also supported the broader objective of strengthening hands-on manufacturing and reducing barriers to experimentation. The first TechShop opened to the public in Menlo Park, California, on October 1, 2006, following a major donation campaign. Its operating model centered on recurring memberships that gave users access to shared workshop space, subject to safety requirements and equipment-specific training. Members could work with woodworking, metalworking, electronics, plastics, textiles, computer-controlled machinery, laser cutters, and entry-level 3D printers. The company also offered introductory safety classes, advanced technical courses, special-interest workshops, and youth STEAM education programs. This combination of facilities and training made TechShop more than a conventional hobby shop or coworking venue: it functioned as a distributed production environment for prototypes, repairs, educational projects, artistic work, and early-stage products. TechShop became closely associated with the American maker movement and participated in Maker Faire events. It developed partnerships intended to connect makerspaces with corporations, universities, public agencies, retailers, and technology organizations. Notable arrangements included a large Metro Detroit facility launched with Ford and Autodesk, an Austin-area location connected with Lowe's, an Arizona location developed with Arizona State University, and international collaborations involving Fujitsu in Tokyo, the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge, and ADEO Leroy Merlin in France. Other named partners included Samsung, Instructables, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Instruments, and DARPA. At its peak, the network included ten locations in the United States and four international locations, although the company operated in additional cities at different points during its expansion. U.S. sites included facilities in California, Michigan, Virginia, Oregon, New York, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Texas, Missouri, and elsewhere. International sites included Tokyo, Paris-area locations, Lille, and Abu Dhabi. The business reported more than 9,000 active members and more than 100,000 people trained through classes and youth STEAM programs. TechShop's expansion ultimately proved unsustainable. On November 15, 2017, the company announced without advance public warning that it was immediately closing all domestic locations and intended to seek liquidation under Chapter 7 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. The closure disrupted hobbyists, inventors, small businesses, educators, and members whose projects depended on access to specialized equipment. International locations were initially described as unaffected, but the wider TechShop network did not survive in its original form. The original company filed for bankruptcy on February 26, 2018. An attempted acquisition and reopening effort led by Dan Rasure did not restore the original company. A San Francisco facility reopened under an independent successor first associated with the TechShop name and later renamed TheShop.Build. That successor became involved in a trademark dispute with the bankrupt company and eventually shut down in 2020. Former members and staff helped establish successor makerspaces such as Protohaven in Pittsburgh, Maker Nexus in Sunnyvale, and MADE Makerspace in St. Louis, while other former locations developed independent community facilities. TechShop therefore ended as a company, but its model influenced the continuing growth of community fabrication spaces.
History
TechShop began in the San Francisco Bay Area in the mid-2000s as an attempt to make advanced tools available to people who lacked private workshops or institutional access. Jim Newton's experience teaching robotics and advising MythBusters helped shape the concept, while Ridge McGhee's concern about the decline of domestic manufacturing aligned the business with a wider interest in practical innovation. Robert Thomas was also part of the founding group. A fundraising campaign supported the launch of the first public facility in Menlo Park, California, on October 1, 2006. The company developed a membership model in which users paid for access to shared fabrication space and equipment. Because many machines presented significant safety risks, members generally had to complete introductory safety and operation courses before using them. TechShop supplemented machine access with advanced classes, workshops, youth education, and community events. Its equipment profile covered conventional shop work and newer digital-production methods, including saws, mills, lathes, welding systems, CNC routers, laser cutters, electronics instruments, sewing machines, plastics tools, and 3D printers. The brand became an important commercial participant in the maker movement. It appeared at or participated in Maker Faire activities and promoted a culture in which individuals could design, prototype, repair, and manufacture objects outside conventional factories. Its facilities served hobbyists, educators, entrepreneurs, artists, engineers, and small companies. Partnerships helped TechShop place facilities in settings connected to corporations, universities, retailers, and government-backed innovation programs. A Metro Detroit site opened in 2012 through a Ford and Autodesk partnership and was described as the largest TechShop facility. Other significant partnerships included Lowe's in the Austin-Round Rock market, Arizona State University in Chandler, Fujitsu in Tokyo, and public or commercial partners in Abu Dhabi and France. Expansion produced a network that at its largest publicly reported scale included ten U.S. sites and four international sites. Locations operated at different times in places including Menlo Park, Redwood City, San Jose, San Francisco, Allen Park, Arlington, Beaverton, Brooklyn, Chandler, Pittsburgh, Portland, Round Rock, and St. Louis. International operations included Tokyo, Paris-area facilities, Lille, and Abu Dhabi. The company reported more than 9,000 active members and more than 100,000 people trained through its classes and STEAM programs. The network's growth did not lead to a durable business. On November 15, 2017, TechShop unexpectedly closed all U.S. facilities and announced plans to liquidate under Chapter 7. The sudden shutdown created immediate problems for members and small businesses that relied on specialized machines and work areas. Although international sites were initially said not to be affected, the original corporate network was effectively finished. An effort led by Dan Rasure to acquire assets and reopen selected locations as TechShop 2.0 failed. A San Francisco facility nevertheless reopened under independent ownership in February 2018, later operating as TheShop.Build, with a possible San Jose site also associated with the successor effort. The use of the TechShop name generated litigation. The bankrupt company sued in February 2018, alleging trade-name and trademark violations. In June 2019, a jury found willful infringement of TechShop's service mark but determined that the defendant had made no profit from the use and that TechShop had suffered no actual damages. A federal judge rejected several requests for a new trial in March 2020. The successor operation ultimately closed in 2020. The collapse did not end the makerspace movement: former members and staff helped form Protohaven in Pittsburgh and Maker Nexus in Sunnyvale, while equipment and communities from former locations contributed to independent successors such as MADE Makerspace in St. Louis.
- 2018
Original company files for bankruptcy
[1]TechShop filed for bankruptcy on February 26 after the attempted acquisition and reopening plan failed.
- 2017
U.S. network closes
[1]On November 15, TechShop announced the immediate closure of all domestic locations and its intention to enter Chapter 7 liquidation.
- 2015
Tokyo location opens
[1]TechShop expanded to Tokyo through a partnership with Fujitsu.
- 2014
Arizona State University partnership launches
[1]A TechShop location opened at the ASU Chandler Innovation Center, creating the company's first university partnership.
- 2012
Metro Detroit facility opens
[1]A 38,000-square-foot location opened in Allen Park through a partnership involving Ford and Autodesk.
- 2012
Austin-Round Rock location opens
[1]TechShop opened a facility serving the Austin metropolitan area in partnership with Lowe's.
- 2006
First TechShop opens in Menlo Park
[1]The first public TechShop facility opened in Menlo Park, California, on October 1, establishing the membership-based workshop model.
Products and positioning
A community-oriented makerspace network providing trained members with access to industrial, digital, and craft fabrication tools.
Membership service · 2006
Membership access
The core offering was paid membership access to shared makerspace facilities. Members could use workshop areas and equipment after completing required safety and operating instruction. The model was intended to give individuals, educators, inventors, artists, and small businesses access to tools that would otherwise require substantial capital investment or institutional affiliation.
Workshop facility · 2006
Fabrication workshops
TechShop facilities combined traditional machine-shop capabilities with digital fabrication. Equipment included table and abrasive saws, miter saws, manual and CNC mills, metal lathes, CNC routers, welding systems, sheet-metal tools, laser cutters, electronics instruments, plastics equipment, sewing machines, and entry-level 3D printers. Access was supported by formal safety and use training.
Education · 2006
Classes and STEAM programs
The company offered basic equipment instruction, advanced technical classes, special-interest workshops, and youth STEAM education. Training was an essential part of the operating model because many machines required users to demonstrate safe operation before independent access.
Controversies
2018
Trademark dispute with TheShop.Build
After an independently operated successor reopened a San Francisco facility using the TechShop name, the original company alleged trade-name and service-mark infringement. The successor changed its name to TheShop.Build. In 2019, a jury found willful infringement but awarded no damages, and a federal judge denied motions seeking a new trial in 2020.
Marketing campaigns
- 2006Founding donation campaign
United States
A substantial donation drive helped equip and launch the first TechShop facility in Menlo Park, supporting the company's objective of making advanced tools broadly accessible.
Outcome. The campaign enabled the first public location to open in October 2006.
- Maker Faire participation
United States
TechShop participated in annual Maker Faire events and used the maker movement as a central community and cultural context for its workshops and membership facilities.
Outcome. The activity increased the brand's visibility among makers, educators, inventors, and DIY users.
Brand decisions
2017
Immediate shutdown and Chapter 7 liquidation planOtherBackground
TechShop's expanding makerspace network was unable to continue operating, and the company announced the closure of all U.S. sites without advance formal warning.
Action taken
On November 15, TechShop shut its domestic locations and announced that it intended to pursue Chapter 7 bankruptcy, an immediate liquidation process.
Aftermath
Members and small businesses lost access to specialized facilities. The original company filed for bankruptcy on February 26, 2018, and later reopening efforts were independent of the original business.
2017
Attempted acquisition and TechShop 2.0 reopening planM&ABackground
Following the domestic shutdown, a group led by Dan Rasure sought to acquire TechShop assets and secured debt and restore selected workshops.
Action taken
The group announced plans to operate some locations under the TechShop 2.0 concept. The acquisition did not proceed, although an independently operated San Francisco facility later reopened.
Aftermath
The successor changed its name to TheShop.Build after litigation and ultimately closed in 2020.
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