JR 137
Grandmaster
My former teacher...
When I started, he rented space in a freestanding building that was 90% one business. It was a swimming pool store, and the dojo was in the back corner of the building with its own entrance. The layout of that place was perfect - it had an entry way that where people could put their coats and shoes and a smaller floor space that was used as a warmup area, little kids classes, and open dojo area depending on the time and night. That room had a large-ish opening to the main dojo floor.
The pool business’s owner expanded his business and needed the space, so my teacher moved into a multipurpose room in a gym. That was supposed to be temporary, but it turned out to be perfect. We had our own room with mirrors and mats that could be put down or folded up, and we had access to the lockers, showers, sauna and hot tub. The guy who my teacher dealt with got caught stealing money, and my teacher left. Apparently the guy didn’t tell the owner he was renting to my teacher and was pocketing the money himself. My teacher thought he was the owner, hence why he wanted the checks made out to him. The actual owner begged and pleaded for my teacher to stay, but my teacher just wanted nothing to do with the place after that fiasco.
He moved into a different mini-strip mall like place. Everything was great, then the owner sold the building 3 years later. The new owner was terrible to deal with, and all 3 store fronts left. They turned over several times within a few years.
Current teacher...
Started out at a college. The college would schedule events and change practice and game times that conflicted with my teacher’s class times without telling him. He and students would show up for class, and there would be a basketball game going on and stuff like that. That obviously got old, so he moved to a community center. Any time anything was missing, no matter how big or small it was, he and the students got blamed. And whatever was missing would usually be found a few days later somewhere on the premises. It was always the center’s staff not putting things back where they belonged. That got old too.
He’s currently in a strip-mall like place. It’s definitily not a shopping center though. He’s in the back corner unit, and the space works. Nothing special. The landlord is a bit of an absentee landlord and takes his time addressing problems, so my teacher pretty much always takes care of it himself. The walls are paper thin - we constantly hear the barbershop upstairs’ music, and the chiropractor next door constantly hears us kiai-ing. I’ve been going to that chiropractor for a few weeks now, and it’s funny to hear class going. A few patients asked if the kiais were patients being adjusted by the chiropractor
Moral of the story...
Renting space is great in that it doesn’t take nearly as much start-up money and risk as buying. But there’s a trade off - you’re at the mercy of the landlord and other tenants when you rent.
When I started, he rented space in a freestanding building that was 90% one business. It was a swimming pool store, and the dojo was in the back corner of the building with its own entrance. The layout of that place was perfect - it had an entry way that where people could put their coats and shoes and a smaller floor space that was used as a warmup area, little kids classes, and open dojo area depending on the time and night. That room had a large-ish opening to the main dojo floor.
The pool business’s owner expanded his business and needed the space, so my teacher moved into a multipurpose room in a gym. That was supposed to be temporary, but it turned out to be perfect. We had our own room with mirrors and mats that could be put down or folded up, and we had access to the lockers, showers, sauna and hot tub. The guy who my teacher dealt with got caught stealing money, and my teacher left. Apparently the guy didn’t tell the owner he was renting to my teacher and was pocketing the money himself. My teacher thought he was the owner, hence why he wanted the checks made out to him. The actual owner begged and pleaded for my teacher to stay, but my teacher just wanted nothing to do with the place after that fiasco.
He moved into a different mini-strip mall like place. Everything was great, then the owner sold the building 3 years later. The new owner was terrible to deal with, and all 3 store fronts left. They turned over several times within a few years.
Current teacher...
Started out at a college. The college would schedule events and change practice and game times that conflicted with my teacher’s class times without telling him. He and students would show up for class, and there would be a basketball game going on and stuff like that. That obviously got old, so he moved to a community center. Any time anything was missing, no matter how big or small it was, he and the students got blamed. And whatever was missing would usually be found a few days later somewhere on the premises. It was always the center’s staff not putting things back where they belonged. That got old too.
He’s currently in a strip-mall like place. It’s definitily not a shopping center though. He’s in the back corner unit, and the space works. Nothing special. The landlord is a bit of an absentee landlord and takes his time addressing problems, so my teacher pretty much always takes care of it himself. The walls are paper thin - we constantly hear the barbershop upstairs’ music, and the chiropractor next door constantly hears us kiai-ing. I’ve been going to that chiropractor for a few weeks now, and it’s funny to hear class going. A few patients asked if the kiais were patients being adjusted by the chiropractor
Moral of the story...
Renting space is great in that it doesn’t take nearly as much start-up money and risk as buying. But there’s a trade off - you’re at the mercy of the landlord and other tenants when you rent.
