The Workbench RVA owner Dalton Rudd at work in 2021 at the membership-based workshop’s former location on Arthur Ashe Boulevard. (BizSense file)
A local woodworking shop has found a new home after it shuttered last summer on Arthur Ashe Boulevard.
The Workbench RVA is now up and running in its new 2,900-square-foot location at 3310 Rosedale Ave. The new spot is about a mile from where the shop originally opened two years ago.
The membership-based business provides a workspace and tools for woodworking projects. Workbench offers two professional table saws, drill presses, laths, a 20-inch helical head planer, several jointers, a laser cutter and a drum sander, among other pieces of equipment.
Workbench’s monthly memberships run from $139 to $169, according to the company’s website. A safety course is required before a person can utilize the workshop. Workbench also offers classes for adults and children.
Despite the change in location, owner Dalton Rudd said his concept is largely identical to what he offered in the previous space. Membership provides access to the shop and its equipment, but lumber is an additional expense that members are able to buy at the Workbench in-house retail space.
Rudd said he had a challenging time finding a commercial space that was available, within his budget and suitable for his concept after his exit from 1105 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd., where Workbench first opened in November 2021. That spot is now occupied by the gym Westwood Athletics.
“Ever since the old lease on the (Arthur Ashe) building expired, I had been trying my very best to find a new spot as soon as possible,” Rudd said. “The market right now, commercial properties are going left and right in the blink of an eye.”
Workbench is opening in a two-building complex on Rosedale Avenue it shares with Black Swan Books and others. Rudd said his space was formerly occupied by a general contractor and before that was home to a local maintenance facility operated by e-scooter company Bolt.
This time around, Rudd plans to encourage members to take on yearlong memberships as opposed to month-to-month plans. And while he doesn’t have a firm membership cap in mind, he expects to be more intentional with the size of the shop’s membership than was the case operating on Arthur Ashe.
He’s betting that in doing so, he can build a more stable membership that fosters the sense of community he wants for the business.
“I had a good number of members I was thankful for, but maybe this time will be focused on long-term membership and gathering those types of members,” Rudd said. He said that at around the time he shuttered the previous location, he had 85 members.
Rudd hatched the idea of Workbench while working at Chesterfield-based Sibley’s Custom Cabinetry between stints at community college and his entry into Longwood University. Rudd graduated from Longwood in 2020 and turned his attention to the rollout of the business venture.
Workbench reopened this month with plans for a grand opening event on Jan. 27.
Rudd works as a middle school shop teacher and said he doesn’t have immediate plans to leave that gig with the reopening of Workbench.
The Workbench RVA owner Dalton Rudd at work in 2021 at the membership-based workshop’s former location on Arthur Ashe Boulevard. (BizSense file)
A local woodworking shop has found a new home after it shuttered last summer on Arthur Ashe Boulevard.
The Workbench RVA is now up and running in its new 2,900-square-foot location at 3310 Rosedale Ave. The new spot is about a mile from where the shop originally opened two years ago.
The membership-based business provides a workspace and tools for woodworking projects. Workbench offers two professional table saws, drill presses, laths, a 20-inch helical head planer, several jointers, a laser cutter and a drum sander, among other pieces of equipment.
Workbench’s monthly memberships run from $139 to $169, according to the company’s website. A safety course is required before a person can utilize the workshop. Workbench also offers classes for adults and children.
Despite the change in location, owner Dalton Rudd said his concept is largely identical to what he offered in the previous space. Membership provides access to the shop and its equipment, but lumber is an additional expense that members are able to buy at the Workbench in-house retail space.
Rudd said he had a challenging time finding a commercial space that was available, within his budget and suitable for his concept after his exit from 1105 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd., where Workbench first opened in November 2021. That spot is now occupied by the gym Westwood Athletics.
“Ever since the old lease on the (Arthur Ashe) building expired, I had been trying my very best to find a new spot as soon as possible,” Rudd said. “The market right now, commercial properties are going left and right in the blink of an eye.”
Workbench is opening in a two-building complex on Rosedale Avenue it shares with Black Swan Books and others. Rudd said his space was formerly occupied by a general contractor and before that was home to a local maintenance facility operated by e-scooter company Bolt.
This time around, Rudd plans to encourage members to take on yearlong memberships as opposed to month-to-month plans. And while he doesn’t have a firm membership cap in mind, he expects to be more intentional with the size of the shop’s membership than was the case operating on Arthur Ashe.
He’s betting that in doing so, he can build a more stable membership that fosters the sense of community he wants for the business.
“I had a good number of members I was thankful for, but maybe this time will be focused on long-term membership and gathering those types of members,” Rudd said. He said that at around the time he shuttered the previous location, he had 85 members.
Rudd hatched the idea of Workbench while working at Chesterfield-based Sibley’s Custom Cabinetry between stints at community college and his entry into Longwood University. Rudd graduated from Longwood in 2020 and turned his attention to the rollout of the business venture.
Workbench reopened this month with plans for a grand opening event on Jan. 27.
Rudd works as a middle school shop teacher and said he doesn’t have immediate plans to leave that gig with the reopening of Workbench.
This is much needed with these Old & Historic homes. Hopefully there will be classes for kids too. Welcome Back!
I feel like I am the target audience here. I have a limited wood working shop. I am looking for some more advanced tools, space, but most importantly a community of support. I love this idea. For someone just starting out like me, though, there needs to be some robust classes, suggested projects, or certifications to justify the annual expense. I hope he can also get some “sponsorship” from places like siewers, rockler, etc to help offset some of the costs. I’d be interested in also volunteering time/material to benefit the city, non-profits, etc., which could perhaps bring in some… Read more »
Wish there was something like this in or near the Short Pump area.