• November 2025 Turning Challenge: Wall Hanging! (click here for details)
  • Sign up for the 2025 AAW Forum Holiday Swap by Monday, November 24th (click here for details)
  • Congratulations to Tracey Lee for "Huggins with Rope" being selected as Turning of the Week for November 10, 2025 (click here for details)
  • Welcome new registering member. Your username must be your real First and Last name (for example: John Doe). "Screen names" and "handles" are not allowed and your registration will be deleted if you don't use your real name. Also, do not use all caps nor all lower case.

Woodcraft Denver - Sale to new Owners Completed - Store Saying Open

Joined
Jul 30, 2021
Messages
860
Likes
262
Location
Aurora, CO
I thought I'd share this, as earlier in the year it seemed like a lot of woodcraft stores were closing, and possibly the Woodcraft Denver store as well. They were up for sale, that store, for a while, over a year I think. I had noticed a rather precipitous dropoff in customers in the store starting at least last year, maybe before that, and especially earlier this year I was concerned about the store closing. It has been my go-to place for most of my local woodworking needs since I got into woodworking in 2020.

I had to take a bit of a break with my woodturning starting in the spring this year, and I've recently been getting back into it. Visited this Wooscraft store for the first time a few weeks back, and have been in a few more times since. The place was really busy, lot of customers, lot of people chatting, for the first time in years the store felt like it did in 2020-2022 when I was in there a lot. Talked to one of the staff, and they said that particular Woodcraft store, officially "Woodcraft Denver" was bought by Woodcraft Supply, the parent company. It is no longer a franchise, it is direct owned by Woodcraft now. Sounds like the store is in good, stable condition, and will not be going anywhere any time soon, which was very welcome news.

This store also seems to have a full docket of woodworking classes again, which had petered off while they were up for sale, and I think this might be part of why the store is a busier place now: The workshop in the back seems to have something going on almost all the time again.

After all the closures of various Woodcraft stores the last couple years, I was quite concerned ours would be vanishing soon as well. For anyone who lives near South Peoria Street in Colorado, it looks like this store is here to stay for the foreseeable future! The Rockler also expanded a good bit the last couple of years, and have a much larger wood selection than they did before. So hopefully both stores are here to stay for the long term.
 
The store here in Eugene closed this year, and the one in Portland closed earlier. Too bad. The big box stores don't want to carry the "specialty" tools.

robo hippy
 
Its really sad to see these stores closing. I was really worried about ours.

I don't really understand it either. It seems like woodworking is still quite popular these days, and if the number of YT channels of people showing off their woodworking is any indication, interest in it seems to be growing. Was it mainly the pandemic, that put so many stores in a poor financial state that they couldn't survive? Or is my observation just incorrect, and woodworking is actually in decline?
 
I’m glad it’s staying open, but seriously doubt the thought process of the new owner. Economy going to hell, he has to compete with people just ordering from Corporate, and their corporate “tax” is brutal on the items with little markup to start with. Hope the new owner has a ton on cash available!
 
Its really sad to see these stores closing. I was really worried about ours.

I don't really understand it either. It seems like woodworking is still quite popular these days, and if the number of YT channels of people showing off their woodworking is any indication, interest in it seems to be growing. Was it mainly the pandemic, that put so many stores in a poor financial state that they couldn't survive? Or is my observation just incorrect, and woodworking is actually in decline?
The main customer demographic is about 65 years old and has a full shop full of tools. Woodworking has been in decline since the 90s when baby boomers were slowly getting their shops fully equipped. :Look at an old Fine Woodworking and compare the numbers of vendors then and now. Look at where the old major companies are. Delta, Powermatic, etc.... Many are just a shell of what they were and are basically just importers.
 
I’m glad it’s staying open, but seriously doubt the thought process of the new owner. Economy going to hell, he has to compete with people just ordering from Corporate, and their corporate “tax” is brutal on the items with little markup to start with. Hope the new owner has a ton on cash available!
Corporate IS the new owner....
 
The main customer demographic is about 65 years old and has a full shop full of tools. Woodworking has been in decline since the 90s when baby boomers were slowly getting their shops fully equipped. :Look at an old Fine Woodworking and compare the numbers of vendors then and now. Look at where the old major companies are. Delta, Powermatic, etc.... Many are just a shell of what they were and are basically just importers.
I dunno. Maybe there are regional differences. The woodcraft here seems to attract a lot of mid-30s and 40s. I'm 46 myself. We do get some older guys, but not as much as we used to (during the pandemic, the place was packed, and also run, by guys mid 50s or older, and some of them were real wizards with wood! I know one of those guys was in his 70s...pretty sure he retired.) A lot of the people I watch online are in their mid 30s to mid 50s. Some of my favorite woodworkers, like Nick Pedulla....I'm pretty sure he is still in his 30s. (Pretty sure he lives in Australia though.) Anyway...
 
Within the last year everyone on the Seattle Woodcraft mailing list got a notice offering the store for sale. The notice said it was the second highest grossing store second only to one in Hawaii.

One of the long time clerks told me corporate will take it over if no buyers surface. A few new staff now, but no indication if it sold or not.

We have two Rockler stores
 
Back
Top