Not everyone has the money to afford one of the special products we’re offering to help fund the restoration of the Anthe Building, our new headquarters. And I’ll be honest: We are uneasy asking for help. It’s not in our nature.
But several readers have asked for a way to contribute directly, without having to purchase an item. Here are two ways. One, you can send money via PayPal to our PayPal account at paypal@lostartpress.com. Or you can contribute directly here. Honest, any amount helps. We are currently cleaning the walls with industrial Dawn and hot water. Even $20 buys us another bottle of purple Dawn and gets us another clean wall.
Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this point. It has made a big difference. Today the HVAC started to go in. And we have been removing the modern drop ceiling and floors in the storefront, which is where we will sell our books, tools and apparel.
— Christopher Schwarz
Make sure you have fire extinguishers on each floor, just in case.
If ever there was a cause worthy of asking for financial assistance, this is one! Unfortunately, i fall into the “cannot afford” category. I am an Idea Man. Do you have a relationship with Nick Offerman? He may be able to lend some of his “Brand” to help with contributions. How about a Chris Schwarz edition of Lagavulin? If not that, what about something closer to home: Jack Daniels? Many other woodworking “influencers” would probably step up to lend their influence too. T-shirts and bill caps, cheesy and cheap, might also improve the bottom line. No one expects a T-shirt to live up to your usual quality standards.
If you guys ever needed the help, all you would have to do is send out the Bat Signal, and 200 people will show up the next day.
When I was a kid in 70’s in small farm town USA. If you had a project. A shed/house build there would be 10-15 friends/neighbors there to help. All for the pay of a few beers, food, good times. Those were valuable life lessons instilled in me yet today. Direct or indirect help is a value and way of life for me. Everyone wins.
Chris, Do you have a floor(s) layout as yet?
Nope. Right now we are cleaning and getting the mechanicals in order. Plans are in process.
Have you thought about raffling off one of your chairs. $50 per ticket but limited to 100 tickets. Or $100 per ticket but limited to 50 tickets. I know I’d look at that and say a 1 out of 50 or 1 out of 100 chance win a $1400 chair is a pretty good odds and if I don’t win it’s for a good cause. The limiting of the raffle tickets is what sells it. But you’d have to let people know the raffle won’t happen until it sells out. You could put up a counter with the number of tickets left.
Just thought but if you have any bog oak you could do 100 tickets at $100. Just a thought or maybe a little more $.
Do people trust raffles like this? It’s a serious question. I have an unusual aversion to gambling (I do it enough with the business, I guess). So it wouldn’t occur to me to do something like this.
Do check legality of raffles in your area before going forward. Most places they are illegal with exception for charity events. Sometimes a license fee is collected and other restrictions may apply. Also you will likely be crossing state lines, so other issues maybe raised. Not opposed to idea, but don’t want you folks to get into trouble.
I don’t have a distrust of raffles, but they aren’t usually my thing (hey, why not just save the money and buy the thing I want when I can afford it, rather than gambling on it).
That said, maybe you get people off the sidelines and avoid the “gambling” concern by having all entrants guaranteed to “win” a box of LAP pencils or a yard stick. I’d “buy” a $50 yard stick to support this project and cross my fingers that the yard stick shows up to my door with a stick chair in tow. 🙂
Either way, best of luck… the chair classes were a hit and if you need more funding and can manage opening another session, I am very, very interested!
From you it would certainly be trusted.
Where did the local Willard St. entrepreneurs go? You could subdivide the 3rd floor and rent to them. If you have trouble luring them back, set the lathe up in your storefront window.
That sounds like a trick question (pun intended). The sex workers moved operations to Philadelphia Street two blocks away. After that, I don’t know where they went. Wherever there’s a lathe, I guess.
Ummm . . . it can’t be an accident they moved from your street corner to Frank Anthe’s former home. There are larger forces at work here.
Chris, Mike and Anonymous are right. Your work has enriched our experience at the bench for many years. I’m no HVAC expert, but if it’s ever labor you need, just say the word. Mutual aid is a beautiful thing.
We’ve gotten a ton of free stuff from you over the years. This blog alone has been worth a fortune. I admire the way you put free pdfs of some of your books out there. Donating something to keep you doing what you do best, so you can pay someone to decrappify the walls, is really just selfish on my part. But I’m happy to do it.
You might try talking to Orchard Steel – https://www.orchardsteel.com/
They run periodic lotteries to a) purchase a handmade kitchen knife and b) raise money for a food bank. I do “gamble” there occasionally.