What a great (and much healthier alternative) to pubs. I live in a small house in a small city, and one thing I don't like about it is that I have no place to put bigger machines, like a table-saw, CNC router, plot-machine, etc... I'd love to have a place where I can learn woodworking, painting,... from the local community.
Maybe I should try to set something like this up. :)
It's a shame that what was a good idea of having a space and community for all men really just turned into the space for that 5-10 year window for guys that are retired but not yet ready to spend their day in a nursing home. At least where I am they have a reputation for being filled with oldies that are a little slow and not friendly to plain hostile.
Hopefully all of them around Australia aren't like this, but I have heard this same view from many people independently
Stand-alone garages are popular place for older men to hang out in ex-USSR towns. These garages are often refitted until they turn into man-castles.
They were built alongside commit blocks but some distance away so they represent a place of escape and socialization. Also, "garage economy" of small businesses run there is a thing.
A lot of weird videos from YouTube such as "remotely controlled Lada" or "a car on floor mops instead of tyres" were filmed in this setting.
We have one of these locally, but it's called a community shed, to not exclude women arbitrarily. At the same time, I still think it's mostly used by men, as it's quite focused around woodworking etc.
They were one of the first businesses to use my CMS for one of their websites, so they hold a special place in my heart :)
I had this idea a few years ago. I wanted a place where you could get access to say car lifts, welders, cnc machines, etc. The usual stuff that's hard to keep at your own home.
I lived in a condo where car work was prohibited. But I also wanted loud machines etc.
I wasn't concerned with cost, but what's the liabilities? What if someone kills themselves accidentally with this dangerous equipment. Also for this reason, insurance companies won't touch you and there's legal regulations which basically make it impossible.
For the record gender doesn't matter.
There seems to be one for the UK: https://menssheds.org.uk/.
I've always wondered why they need to be so sexist. Is it so terrible to have women around?
But not so long ago, I saw an article about women trying to open a similar shed but finding there was a funding program which was specifically only able to men's sheds. I'm surprised they can get away with it.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-21/huon-she-shed-project...
"While the local men's shed welcomes women, Ms Reardon said there were many women who wanted their own space."
It gets stranger and stranger.
This is kind of insulting.
Australia does not have domestic violence shelters for men (first very small opened two years ago), but there are "sheds", where you are allowed to work while healing! Even dogs get more resources!
A great idea taken over by cliques of old men who refuse to allow anyone new to take part unless you’re also their age and/or a friend of an existing member.
I’m medically retired but <50 and have tried going to multiple just to find stuff to do. Ended up using maker spaces instead which have a much much wider age group and a friendlier environment all round.