This guy knows. Coby crew used to roll out there nearly every weekend.
Team Goewey Kia.
Its a small place that used to be the Lobster Pound restaurant and Im not sure if it even has a garage (I think they used the Dodge dealership for service) and I dont think the parking lot is paved.
Some aspects of this are quite nice, other I see being a PITA and causing issues. The aspects of the drifting and “racing” you’re going to have to research zoning laws, insurances and liabilities, required tech inspectors, EMT, FD, etc for the events. As stated many tracks and facilities have been “grandfathered” in and have much of above on site, and even they face constricting regs year to year.
Without the aforementioned events you’ve talked about it just becomes a large shop with a mall arcade and food court attached to it. Go hand out at xgates and or RSM on a friday night and tell me if that’s what you’d want your shop to be.
Is it going to be profitable to stay in business doing such a thing here. How will crowds “intermingle” with each other. I can forsee a craze in the beginning, but then dying down due to specific automotive genres not wanting to be around each other(yes that automotive “racism” still exists, look at the damn lot). Yes charging a membership fee will reduce the amount of hoodlums at the place, but then factor in how many people would actually pay for the service, then how many would actually be able to attend on a regular basis.
The big question…ask yourself why has it not been done before by anyone else. The answer(s) may dictate the future potential of this endeavor.
Just my opinion. Not trying to degrade the idea, I just feel there needs to be a specific business plan for such a thing as this, and quite a few questions need to be answered all by far more qualified people than those of this forum.
i agree to a point , most at the lot get along as long as the ricans dont show up
The question is what do you want the place to be first and foremost. If the wrenching biz is going well,then maybe that should dictate the new space. Having a nighttime hangout for car guys really only needs a location with easy access to cruising, enough visibility to intrigue passers-by, and access control to keep out the riff raff. Slinging coffee and donuts or firing up the grill might make you a few bucks, but its not gonna make anybody a living because you’re catering to a small crowd.
Ultimately a business needs to make money. You’ve got one revenue stream that you have a handle on. If the club/hangout is designed mostly to increase mechanical shop business, then its advertising and needs to be kept to an advertising budget. If its a separate business, it needs to be able to stand on its own, full time, or it will drain your primary biz.
A few years back, a couple guys set up something called the Hot Rod Cafe on Freemans Bridge Rd. Awesome idea, didn’t work. They had permit troubles, from what I heard, and never officially opened, just had some nighttime hangouts.
Now me, I’m a little older, my musclecar’s in storage, I’m married, don’t hang out with any car buddiez, etc. But my favorite time of year is the cruising in Lake George at the Nats. If there’s some way to capture some of that, without the stuff that draws cops, that guys like me can swing by and not feel like outsiders, well, I’m in, and I’d be apt to find a way to make sure I supported the biz. As to how to make it work, well, there’s the rub.
I have to agree with Boxersix…the legal and insurance aspect for the drifting and drag events will probably be way more than you will to spend and provide. The money for that would be outrageous, not to mention the zoning issues you are going to have. I do think a hang out spot would be great and the car guys will naturally gravitate to a place where they can talk cars. So I think this is a good idea overall, just some aspects are going to be expensive and extremely hard to pull off…especially if its more than 45 min away. The closer to a central location the better so that people could just swing in and grab a bite to eat or shoot the $hit or use it as a meeting place IMO.
I’m pretty sure the drag and drifting aspect of it would have to be hush hush and people just do it. Us drift guys don’t care much about damage to our cars and we won’t be able to go very fast anyway, but Im sure drag racing people would want different.
i dont think people will drive very far. i mean personally 30 mins is my limit for little things that you could offer me. but hey, thats just me.
I’ll drive like 40min or so, most people bitch about 10 minutes :lol
I’m still listening and reading. The ideas I laid out are more or less the master wish list. The road used to get there may take some time.
Although I truely understand the inner workings of zoning and insurance and politics and I agree this will be big work to achomplish I must partially disagree in the
respect that it is doable rather then to hard
to try.
Ps. Phones suck to type this much! More to come
Adam- we should sit and chat. If for none othe reason then to get further aquainted.
Keep the thoughts coming. It’s a process. And we have t start somewhere. I’d assume a smaller building with good parking and good performance in the speed shop work. From there we can see what developes.
I know it can work. Just looking for where and how.
I’m of the opinion that if it’s a nice place that does gr
Same here. Im more than willing to drive for something to do or a place to hang out
Love the idea Darryl, as for me I think 45 minutes is a reasonable drive.
Great work and an atmosphere that’s inviting more people will come. Also having the speed shop showroom with speed parts inventory.
As we grow I would seek the expanded master plan.
It can happen. Have to want to alot. That’s all!
seems like there is a good core group of people on here that are willing to back up any plan that comes about. I really hope everything works out darryl, i am ready to put down my membership fee.
A.S.S really stepping up, good to see stuff like this.
List for me of you will the top five attractions/reasons/needs that would male you want to come and hang out whenever.
Dc
No specific order.
Food in viscinity.
Lot you know will be there on fri/sat/sun night till 1am.
Within the area we talked about.
Relative safety from the cops/hooligans.
An inside store front area - similar to JVG’s setup is a nice bonus.
1)PJB
2)PJB
3)PJB
4)PJB
5)PJB
Srs though, everyhing mentioned above sounds great. Add ‘well lit’ to the list.
Thats because your a solid guy and a solid group of good people. When you get johnny race car with his daddys S4 thinking he can just turn the traction controll off and boot it in a circle, then plows into a light pole, or worse someones car parked there… shit hits the fan fast. I feel the same way, let me bust up my own shit, I dont care if I did it… but if someone else does it, things might change.
The drift, burnout box, what ever would have to be sectioned off well from people and parked cars. It would have to be off the books, members ONLY type thing to play on. Its private property, and off hours its trespassing. ONLY IF THE LAND OWNER WANTS TO PROSECUTE. So if the police are called for some reason its up to the owner to tell the cops to go home or shell out tickets. If its a member doing what they are good at and having fun, safely, no problem. If it some chode starting problems, and say hits a parked car because he was acting like a retard, or pops his motor, or wacks a pole… then turns around and thinks he can go after Darryl, the police come, and he is charged with trespassing… GL with getting insurance money when your found guilty of that, when that offense caused the damage!
Contact a lawyer. Sign a waiver. Dirtbags that sue and fuck up the good times for everyone else are out there everyday, just need to safeguard yourself the best you can… even if it went to court, in my eyes if it wasnt something that I the offender paid for, thus getting the feeling of security and insurance that if something went wrong I would be covered, I wouldn’t really have a leg to stand on, since it would simply be a matter of me the offender breaking laws on the defendants property.
The drag strip would be awesome but since the speeds are higher, its 2 cars side by side, and its a larger track… I see it being harder to get going. NOW, not that the “track” couldn’t be located close to another “stretch of road” which could host said “speed events” (real offense, arrest and tow shit as we all know). They leave the property and you have zero control over what they do, good by liability. We are smart people, it would take a damn camouflaged swat team in the woods to catch us. No houses on said stretch of road, little to no traffic flow, no side roads intersecting… eliminating any EASY way an officer could witness it, unless they are traveling the road at the same time, and like they do to us, that’s nothing a few radios couldn’t assist us in pulling it off un-noticed. If shit ever hit the fan, and the news published something saying “This shop supports street racing” or “This shop causes street racing”, thats nothing a smart person cant turn around and advertise or publish a counter article making them look stupid, and getting advertisement out of it.
Start small and work your way up, just find the location that could host the extra activities later on.
Looking for “the” location.
Any more suggestions?
Need 7500sqft. With 6-7k of it for shop area and rest for write up showroom and offices…
Look for a NNN lease to own.
Help find our home! Lmk what your seeing and thinking.