I've been offered a shipping container in a BMX park to use
for a fledgling co-op.
each shipping container has a unique ID - much like a
car registration plate - use this to find the year and
history - if the container is very old and/or damaged/too
rusty, you may be better off with another.
I want to hear from others who operate out of containers.
What has your experience been like? What challenges does
operating out of a container present that a traditional
retail/warehouse space does not? How do you address those
challenges?
space is the main concern, then temperature, then
functionality....
8ft 6" is difficult - you can setup workstands here but
with internal insulation and fitouts it will be a
squeeze...unless...you have wall mounted stands and access
one side only
w.r.t temperature you have two options - totally sealed
with spray insulation (about £2500 for a small container in
London UK, though highly toxic and bad for the environment)
or glass-fibre insulation and allowing the unit to 'breathe'
through vents - I chose the latter
whatever you do, avoid cutting holes in the roof or
walls - the strength of the container is due to the
corrugation - also you'd avoid leaks and potential security
weaknesses
another thing? NEVER place the container on soil where
the bottom of the container touches the ground - containers
can rust and rot easily. Also, for this reason, I coated
ours with 4 coats of Hammerite and the roof with an
additional 2 coats of bitumen paint
My plan is to provide tools and two or three stands (spaced
very generously apart) for DIY service as well as a small
selection of new consumables (cables, housing, ferrules, etc)
on a PWYC basis.
I built all the racking and timber fitout on both
containers - advice....use std size containers and build the
racking around this (or just buy custom heavy duty racking
if you have budget). If using a std 20ft x 8'6" container
you can get 2 stands in, if a std 40ft, 4 stands
conventional container fitouts in the UK use 6mm ply and
44mm timber. I used what I could access (18mm ply and 2" x
4" timber) and was so glad I had these! the walls are
strong enough (especially with battens) for hanging shelving
and bikes etc...though the overall weight is high
Partially finance the above by selling refurbished donated
bikes.
depends where you are but where I am this is not a
money-earner - servicing is where the income is
Provide a small selection of used parts (taken from donated
bikes that aren't safe/worth refurbishing) on a PWYC basis.
good idea - ensure everything is tested first where
possible or offer on the basis of 'sold as seen'
All of this will be on a seasonal basis. May-Oct. If it
lasts longer than this season, I'll grow it as I'm able in the
future.
the current container has walls and ceiling insulated
with 50mm recycled glass-bottle fibre insulation behind 18mm
ply. (With a 2kw oil radiator, this is okay to work inside,
down to around 0 degrees C)
Right now my primary goal is to take advantage of the surge
of interest in cycling to get more people on bikes.
brilliant!!
I'm also interested in diverting as much waste from
landfills as possible, and would love to hear any ideas about
converting frames/parts to useable objects (repair stands,
tables, clocks, whatever).
we're also moving to zero waste...some of the things
we've created (and sold) have been....
Coffee Table
Light Stand
Belts (most common)
Bottle openers
Clocks
Keyrings
we've also supplied 'waste streams' (such as old inner
tubes) to local artists for upcycling
Let me know if I can be of more assistance Cory and all the
best with this!