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Comments
Dammit
Dammit twice. First, because they are closing and they were a good store with good people even if was overpriced. I normally don't morn the loss of chain stores but this one will hurt.
And second, because all the good stuff is going to be picked over before I get there.
There's another Rockler in Salem, NH which is good for avoiding taxes on big ticket items. But the Cambridge location was really handy to buy good quality stuff without a special order/trip.
Edit: Their other stores are much larger and they cater primarily to people who have space for woodworking equipment (not most condos/apartments) so I can't say I'm too surprised they are closing. To their credit, the employees would recommend the Artisans Asylum to customers if people lacked a home shop.
Other stores
It's kind of shocking the store lasted as long as it did here given where the rest of their stores are. Their original store in Minneapolis was on Lake Street near Uptown, a neighborhood similar-ish to North Cambridge (multi-family housing, old streetcar development) and when they outgrew it they moved around the corner. The Cambridge store opened a few years after.
The Minneapolis store lasted until the late-2000s; it was up for rent in 2011 on Streetview (now it's a Japanese BBQ place). Every other store they have is way out in the suburbs. The Twin Cities locations are near their equivalent of 128, there's not even a store near New York, and the San Francisco Rockler is in Concord, which is further from San Francisco as our Concord is from Boston.
I'm guessing that legacy store in Uptown was the last of its kind other than Cambridge, so it's kind of amazing that it's lasted as long as it has as the company has shifted its retail to the suburbs. It probably speaks to the demand for this type of business that it stuck around for so long, and that someone might be able to meet the need of the market.
But if you listen to the comments on the Cambridge Day, no, it's because there's a bike lane somewhere.
Oh, Bike Lanes...
I'll admit I too was surprised to hear it was still open.
I would bet that >95% of this store's patrons drove in from some distance away. If my options were to take the T to Rockler, hope I find parking within a 10-minute walk, or buy it online, I'm going to order online.
I think you can make the argument that walking/transit-oriented design is still the best option while still recognizing it creates more losers than just guys rolling coal in their bro-dozers. Specialty retailers that rely on drawing clientele from a wider area benefit more from parking than a wine and cheese shop that mostly serves people within ten blocks.
You're wrong about everyone driving there
Having spent a lot of time in the store, it certainly wasn't 95% of patrons who drove. I always biked there myself.
The store was busy, particularity on weekends and around holidays. But even during the week there was plenty of foot traffic.
Most of what they sell is pretty small -- router bits, hinges, epoxy, jigs, etc. Things that fit in a backpack. Their selection of hardwood planks was pretty weak, probably due to lack of space.
I'm guessing they are closing because the store was too small to have much inventory on display or in storage. If all their other stores are the size of a Best Buy, it's a hassle to have one oddball small store. (See also: The Whole Foods @ St. Marys St)
You can argue about the
You can argue about the percentage, but the fact is a good proportion of the customers drive. It's a unique store that draws from a large area. Even if some of the stuff fits in a backpack, someone isn't going to ride transit from even Belmont to get there, let alone somewhere further away or less connected to Cambridge by transit. And most people aren't up for biking those distances either.
Serious Bummer!
I build furniture professionally, and while I'm no longer in the Boston area, I do still have clients down there. That Rockler has gotten me out of a couple of jams when I forgot to grab something for a delivery. I'm going to miss them and/or have to pack more carefully.
Your next best alternatives for the tools and hardware Rockler carried are the two Woodcrafts in the area: Woburn and Walpole. Longleaf (mentioned in TFA) sells reclaimed lumber and (unless something has changed in the last couple of years) very limited hardware and finishing supplies. I haven't been to Anderson McQuaid (also mentioned), but they're primarily molding AIUI.
Boulter Plywood up in Medford is as close as you're going to get to replacing Rockler's supply of wood without a long car trip. They're no longer close to the T since they moved from their location near Sullivan, but you probably weren't hauling 20-30 board feet of 4/4 maple back to your apartment on the T either. On the plus side, it's a much bigger location now. Boulter will also cover your cabinet hardware needs (full-extension drawer slides and 35mm cup hinges, etc).
If you want to build stuff but lack shop space, Paco (quoted extensively) is great. Go check out the Lexington Arts and Crafts Society where he works. If you don't want to go to LexArt (car, etc.), Artisan's Asylum has a solid shop too, though I've never worked out of it.
I don't know if that Rockler had a sharpening service that did pickup and dropoff, but there's one in the area near where Boulter used to be.
It seems incredibly short-sighted to close that store. It was never the best, or the best selection for anything, but it was T-accessible. Basically every other option is not. Rockler was also pretty consistently busy. It's like when the Harvard Square EMS closed. Now you have to drive to one of the REI's in the area. You had a giant, captive audience. Invest a little, for crying out loud!
Anderson McQuaid & Boulter
Great selection of hardwood (D4S) lumber, not just molding. And Boulter Plywood has more exotic hardwood than Rockler ever did.
Boulter delivers
Boulter has very reasonable (even cheap) delivery costs to the Boston area. I've had multiple full sheets of plywood delivered to Roslindale for $15 (actually tipped the driver more than the delivery charge). Also, you can go there, pick out your sheets and hardwood planks, have them cut, and then have them delivered - the pieces you picked out are the ones that get delivered. Try that almost anywhere else.
Boulter?
As in Fred Boulter? Anybody know??
REI
There's an REI in that big building in the Fenway that long ago was a Sears distribution center. It used to be called Landmark Center but they aren't using that name anymore. Definitely quite transit accessible, adjoining a Green Line D station and a short walk from a Green Line C station. A bunch of bus routes go by there, too.
REI also has a small store in Cambridge Crossing next to Lechmere station.
Didn't EMS close because the whole company went bankrupt?
I didn't think it had anything to do with how much they were or weren't making at that one location.