Hey all -
By now you’ve probably heard/read about this, but I thought I’d post something specifically here on the forum for everyone.
As you may know, earlier this year I signed a deal with Reynolds to become their new North American distributor. To go along with that, I spent the first part of the year putting together (the start of) a new supply shop:
Along the way, I teased something bigger here in town, and this is it. I’ve been noodling on starting up a new framebuilding school here in Portland for a bit (since UBI shut their program down a few years ago). With the Reynolds thing falling into my lap, I figured I should just take the plunge and go for it. So, last fall I purchased a warehouse here in town (about a mile south of the MADE venue, for reference) and set out on this adventure.
In short: we’re developing a purpose built, world-class framebuilding shop and education facility here in Portland. It took us nearly 8 months to get permits (…Portland…), but renovations are finally underway on the space. Once complete, we’ll open the doors to an 8,000 sq. ft. framebuilding “hub” right down on the Willamette river… 3,000 sq. ft. of shop space, a dedicated design & discussion classroom, computer lab, indoor and outdoor event areas, locker rooms and kitchen, and an on-site apartment for our guest instructors.
The Firsthand school will be guest-instructor based. All of the builders I’ve spoken to have been really encouraging, and super excited to pass down some knowledge through us. The guest instructors will lead the classes, but they’ll be supported by a team of local builders who’ll hold permanent roles at the shop (and who are currently developing the curriculum and processes that the school will use). The courses will range from evening workshops and 1 to 3-day seminars all the way up to multi-week framebuilding experiences. We’ll offer targeted classes for novices and experienced builders alike, grouped and scheduled by ambition. Should be good.
We’ll be moving into the space next spring, and trickling out classes starting next summer. Big ‘ole grand opening party coming next year during MADE, for sure.
If you’re curious, I wrote a blog post about the motivation behind starting up a new framebuilding school, here:
And there are some additional bits and photos in these spots:
If you want to stay in the loop, sign up for the Firsthand newsletter. I send out a monthly-ish note, and will keep everyone updated on progress, class signups, waitlists, etc.
This is a big project, and it’ll take us some time to see through all of our goals for the school. Judging by the reception at MADE, however, I think the new space will be really well received and the support from both students and instructors will be there long term.
Finally, I want to note that it is my hope that Firsthand becomes a complimentary piece to some of the other opportunities within framebuilding education/apprenticeship out there. I’ve had several really good conversations with the (very few) companies in the US who actually hire aspiring builders to entry-level positions. They’re pumped to have a potential pipeline for qualified employees making a go at bicycle fabrication full-time. I’ve also spoken to several of the individual builders who offer frame classes as a portion of their businesses. They’ve also been nothing but encouraged and supportive. Rising tides, I think.
Anyway, that’s the sorta-short of it. I’m pumped to be building something really unique here in Portland, and hope you’ll come and enjoy the space with us once we open our doors!
-Chris
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Chris Blandford
Firsthand Framebuilding
chris@firsthand.bike