Halifax community workshop that offered 'sawdust therapy' is closing

For David Clearwater, running a community woodworking workshop in Halifax's north end was a labour of love.

But, like so many other love affairs, it has now come to a bittersweet end. 

The Hands-On Halifax Community Workshop offered woodworking lessons and provided the space and tools for people to work on their own projects. 

When Clearwater retired from the navy after 30 years in 2016, he discovered the workshop founded and run by Russell Zwicker in 2016.

He had just lost his father, who enjoyed woodworking, and the workshop proved to be the perfect transition for him to get back into civilian life.

"I call it sawdust therapy," he said. "It was kind of a daycare for men. I went to a few classes and then I got to know Russell."

When Zwicker got a job offer in Montreal, Clearwater jumped at the chance to take over the workshop. That happened in September 2017.

But the business model wasn't working and COVID-19 restrictions didn't help. Earlier this month, he announced on social media that the business would close

It will remain open until Aug. 15 for people who donated tools they want to reclaim and for people with advance bookings.

Clearwater said he was living in denial and hadn't filed corporate taxes in two years. He was afraid to find out "how much money we didn't make."

It was only when he and his wife hired a local bookkeeper this year that the true enormity of their loss became apparent.

Clearwater said the bookkeeper found that the enterprise had lost $43,000 last year and was on track to lose another $27,000 by July 2021. 

They only made razor-thin profits in good times. The pandemic and soaring lumber prices were the nail in the coffin.

"I'm not a business person," he said. "I'm a mentor. I'm a talking board. I'm an advice-giver, a consultant — but I'm not really a businessman."

Clearwater said he realizes now he should have registered as a non-profit rather than a social enterprise.

According to Clearwater, had he gone that way he would have been able to access more grants and have a more consistent cash flow.

He credits his landlord for helping him survive the pandemic for as long as he did by applying for federal grants to help ease the rent burden.

He said the constant concerns about money and the associated stresses were beginning to take a mental toll on him, leading to the decision to close.

Now in the process of liquidating the assets of the workshop, Clearwater said it's a difficult process because he is reminded of the sense of community that will be lost and memories associated with some of the tools being sold. 

Despite the financial hardships keeping the business open, Clearwater said the experience has paid him back in ways he never anticipated. 

He said he has post-traumatic stress disorder and the process of running the workshop and interacting with people there have helped him cope.

"You learn a skill, you grow in your ability and you build a project," he said, " And that was me every day learning from our patrons."

"I learned compassion. I learned empathy. I learned communication skills, collaboration. Those are all gifts that were given to me by our patrons."