Goodbye Michigan Building

[Mr. Wonka]

Hi folks.

The oldest structure here at Wonka World is the Michigan Building, and it has definitely seen better days. It took some convincing, but Elaine agreed that it’s time to see it go. With that in mind, this will be the last year of AGI with that beloved building.

After the show, we will have it demolished and replace it with a brand spankin’ new one that will be much larger and more comfortable. One of the “creature comforts” that will be added is a tap in the corner… This way you can get fresh spring water as you work. Since we’ll have water in the building, we’ll also have a dedicated area for some cold working equipment.

I guess this is a step backwards in our quest to get out of debt (mortgage #4), but we haven’t put up a building in a few years and I’m getting antsy about it :bounce

Anyway, I’ll keep everyone posted with a photo journal when it happens. In the meantime, feel free to tag the inside of the building when you’re here at AGI!

Tom :wonka:

[Julian]

This year shall be a proper send off for the Michigan building, then! Sorry to see it go... so many of us have had great times in that little shed. It is a bit non-ergonomic, though... lacking the fung shui-ly flow one might seek? Aisle space, anyway.

Sounds awesome to have a majestic new building with a spring spigot, cold working and best of all, more bench space! Thanks from all of us for AGI and your and Elaine's continued efforts to make it even better.

[Mr. Wonka]

Thanks Julian : ) I will miss that place a bunch... it was my first studio as a homeowner. It started as the only outbuilding here, and I installed 2 work spaces in it.

I came across some old photos of the property when we bought it, and I'll be sure to scan and post them in the very near future. There is NOTHING recognizable compared to today, and next year it will change again.

Since the Michigan Building is built completely out of solid wood planks, I want to salvage as much of it as I can to incorporate in other areas of the facility (like having some tables and other furniture made) so it will always be here.

Tom

[Plum Tuckered]

wow cool man i love it when i can reuse old wood planks. That shit has character.

[slave]

Met some of my glass heros in that building...

[smutboy420]

WOW I remember when that building was just called "the shed".

[STROKER]

Since the Michigan Building is built completely out of solid wood planks, I want to salvage as much of it as I can to incorporate in other areas of the facility (like having some tables and other furniture made) so it will always be here.

Tom

tom i have been know to kick up a bit up sawdust from time to time and i would love to make a piece that was made from the michigan building leftovers.

i will handpick some boards on the building this year when i get there and then when you tear it down , hopefully i can get the parts i requested for my custom wonka build.

damn i love agi and all it represents.

[Boss]

hope to work in it again this year...

[Julian]

A commemorative Stroker wood piece would be collossal! Can we commission key fobs?

[Mr. Wonka]

“The shed”… that takes me back a few years there JJ.

“I’ve met some of my glass heroes in that building”. I hear ya Slave, and that’s why I really hate to knock it down… I would prefer to refurbish it and add another building, but we’ve had to do extensive work to it over the years to keep it safe.

Julian, perhaps I can have some small items made from the wood and give one out to everyone. There are a lot of memories for a lot of people… especially the Michigan peeps.

Boss- I think everyone should make a little something in the building before it goes. Maybe we can all participate in a final collab, and we’ll incorporate that into the design of the new place. Perhaps we can put it on a shelf and seal it in the wall with Plexiglas : )

Jay, thanks so much for offering your services. I love your wood working and it will be an honor to have something of yours here. I’ll also give you some of the hardwood planks so you can make something for yourself : )

Tom

[Mr. Whale dick]

sad to see it go as wack as it is i still love it

[themoch]

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/262863_10100279172273412_9101065_50523914_447314_n .jpg

whack ass building indeed!

[Mr. Whale dick]

damn i look good!,,,,,

[Mac Maestro]

Shop should have been condemned long ago. I hear you need a shot of penicillin after working in that shop. (siph-toe?)

Also heard "stay away from Puff Danny's van.". Unless you want to know what chloroform smells like...

[themoch]

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/5976_727406569332_9101065_41940492_4396853_n.jpg


looks like Danny had a bit too much chloroform himself


https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/5976_727406808852_9101065_41940538_7614795_n.jpg

[justiceglass]

wow, nice hair cut... lol

we shall see if early pmnt + requests allows me into the m-building this year. i would be more than honered! got a feeling its not gonna happen. i can promise killer beats and great smelling feet!
:D

tom, i love you!

[bowlpusher]

bwaaaaaaaa hah a hahaa. damn, that is super ro$$in. big ups on those pics. puff danny is such a baller.

[yinzer]

whoa. i hope whoever tears that thing down is wearing full body protection. man, bitersweet as hell.

[Julian]

Maybe the new building can be connected to the Bandhu building somehow, raising the ballingness thereof? I don't know, a skywalk... underground tunnels, tin can & rope phone. Pneumatic chutes, like at bank drive throughs? But heated to 1000 to get collab pieces back and forth safely.

Just throwing ideas out there.

[Mr. Wonka]

Hi Folks.

Unfortunately, we will not be able to replace the Michigan Building as we originally planned. Although we have an impeccable credit rating, positive debt to income ratio, and have never been late on a bill in our lives, our loan was not approved.

This is something that we have been dealing with from day one… being punished for owning a business. For instance:

-Utilities (Telephone, electric, computer, and cable services) cost more in every building except for the house

-Our homeowners insurance gets dropped about once per year… and we have to find new coverage… all because we earn money on the premises

I guess the next step will be “cap and trade”, where my household electric bill will skyrocket, and turning on a kiln in the shop will require another loan… which the bank won’t give us.

FUCK!!!!

Sorry for venting, but thanks for listening.

Tom

[Pogo]

Mac: How does a self-sustaining economy work?
Dennis: I don’t understand how the U.S. economy works, much less some sort of "self-sustaining" one.

[Julian]

That's too bad, Tom. I know you and Elaine were hoping to make some awesome improvements, but I think most people won't be too sorry to see the Michigan building remain for now!

[loydb]

Having (almost) finished enduring the Wells Fargo mortgage process (about as pleasant as a colonoscopy), I'm sympathetic. I made the mistake of writing the down payment check out of my Jester Glass business account, and it has resulted in two months of documentation hell. We close on a new house a week from tomorrow, and I still don't have final mortgage approval, even though the 'lady' I'm working with say "Oh, it shouldn't be a problem..."

[JBob]

Hope everything works out. If you need help I'm always around and ready to get my hands dirty at wonka world.

[themoch]

let's hypothetically say something were to catch fire in that building... would the insurance cover it?

[Julian]

Don't worry, Andrew. Your arson/insurance fraud conspiracy is safe with us.

[themoch]

whoa whoa whoa!!!!


nobody here is saying ANYTHING about insurance fraud! :twitch:

[Plum Tuckered]

Well as bummed as I am for your set back at least I'll be able to see this historic workspace before it's dismantled.

Wow it is almost time fro AGI! I'm so excited...Mr Wonka anyone with an A ticket have to cancel? If so I am totally interested.

[Julian]

being punished for owning a business. For instance:

-Utilities (Telephone, electric, computer, and cable services) cost more in every building except for the house


When I went to hook up internet services for the bead store, I was told it was a business connection, and instead of $50 a month the same company charged at home, the minimum was $200! For the same service. I don't know why companies think that makes any sense, but I guess they just want to make their money and they know businesses can and will pay.

[WcG]

It's wierd how things work in the business world, like paying more for utilities, internet, etc but on the other end business get certain things much cheeper than the public.
The two biggest things that come to mind for me are contractors and restruants.
They pay much less for many times the same things we can buy at Jewel or Home Depot from their suppliers, that also supply alot of the retail stores.
The thing is the distributors still for the most part have competitors and they have to be competitive with each other, where the utility compaines can charge what ever they want any you have to pay it if you want what they provide/sell.

I hate the F'ed up world we live in, most of the time, which is why I spend all my time at work or in the shop.
Hell I can't turn on the news anymore with out getting pissed off about something.

Sorry to hear about that Tom but look at it this way, your not in as much debt to thoes bastards now as you would have been if you had got the loan.

Also, just an idea, but what about reaching out to the glass community that you've done so much for, for some help.
I suggest someone here start a glass donation/auction to help Tom with the new building.

[Mr. Wonka]

Hi folks, thanks for sharing your stories with me. I can’t understand why everything is structured to make business more difficult and expensive for entrepreneurs. Even with our prior loans, we were not able to get the standard 30 year mortgage as any homeowner is eligible for. Because of the business, we could only secure 20 year mortgages (at higher rates).

With our new house, our insurance is less than $500.00 per year, and our business costs us about $8,000.00 per year. Granted, there are more buildings, but even at $500.00 each, our insurance should be $2,500.00 per year if it were based on the same scale.

No matter what situation I’m in, I always ask myself, “What’s good about this”? As WcG pointed out, it will be less debt for us in the long run… not to mention the jacked up insurance that we’d add to our already ridiculously high bill. I appreciate the idea of the fundraiser, but I can’t take handouts… I just can’t.

Thanks again for listening, and maybe we’ll be able to do something bigger and better in a few years with another bank. Until then, the Michigan Building will be retired after this year, and we’ll make up the space by utilizing the Bandhu Building more.

Have a great night my friends : )

Tom

[smutboy420]

YA the less debt and not having an increase in yearly insurance etc etc Might be a plus.

But it seems counter productive for the lenders to deny you the loan. Being they wont be able to butt rape you, I guess its hard to turn a good loan in to some sort of default swap stick it to the next guy type thing. Or expect to get tax funded bail bail out and bonus's. After screwing the pooch.

[sunray]

Its all across America.. Good credit and people are being turned down,, Banks are afraid to loan..