Trail Tailor and NEW OPENING (1 Viewer)

[TRAIL TAILOR]

Hello,

Most are wondering where we are moving (I will announce this soon) and what will become of Trail Tailor.

I have been a 60 guy for a majority of my cruiser addicted life. This is where my passions lie and where I will continue to commit most of my efforts. Focus will mainly stay on this series for bumpers, racks, sliders, skid plates and stocking aftermarket and maintenance parts. If a stocked 60 part happens to trickle over to another series, fine, but not my goal.

I miss building custom 60 cruisers and I will get back to doing this as well. Goal is 1-2 per year. One of which will come very soon. I also plan to acquire as much used 60 cruiser inventory as possible (well as much as Andrea will allow).

Trail Tailor was growing at a rate I almost couldn't keep up with and that was unacceptable to me. Some may think this is great and the sign of a successful business, and it is... but, I don't want employees or want to deal with the headaches they bring. Plus, when you add employees it cost the customers more money in the long run. I want to stay specialized in limited areas. So, the reigns are being pulled back.

Current plans are to get moved. Find a place temporarily (house and shop), buy property and build our new home and shop.

Products that will be offered/stocked for 60 series:

· Sliders and skidplates
· Racks and gutter mounts
· Rust repair panels
· Carpet kits
· B-pillar covers (mild steel)
· TOUGH DOG SUSPENSIONS
· Shackle kits (stock and extended lengths)
· Door cards and full replacement panels (Fiberboard, ABS and aluminum)
· Antenna mounts
· Harrop E-Lockers
· ComeUp Winches
· Door weatherstripping kits
· Lockstrip kits
· Misc Toyota domestic/overseas items (these will be sold upon availability)
· Knuckle rebuild kits with wheel bearings (Koyo ONLY)
· TOYO U-joints - JAPAN
· Aisin Hubs


PRODUCTS FOR OTHER CRUISERS AND MODELS:

· Racks and gutter mounts(available for order at anytime-40, 60, 70, 80 and 100)
· Antenna mounts
· Suspension kits (when placing a stocking order only)


New products to come:

· Roof Top Tents 1-4 persons (larger upon request)
· Hard shell tents 1-2 persons
· Foxwing awnings
· Standard awnings
· Mesh and changing rooms
· Annexes
· 200 sliders
· 200 racks
· Storage and sleep platforms (working with a custom cabinet maker one these)
· FJ40 - OE style front bumper mounts
· FJ55 - OE style front bumper extension mounts
· FJ55 - Firewall insulating mat

 

[lcwizard]

Jason, with all that and no employees you forgot to add one item to the list...gray hair

 

[TRAIL TAILOR]

Jason, with all that and no employees you forgot to add one item to the list...gray hair

Well Andrea said she wanted to help more.... HA! With limiting my bumper/armor builds I will have more time to do the smaller items as well. A majority of this will be boxed/pre-packaged, pulled, print a label and have it picked up.

I'm already getting gray so I might as well help push it along further.

Jason

 

[TRAIL TAILOR]

New home for us will be Spokane, WA

Still have a few weeks to go before the move, but its getting there.

Jason

 

[nw_fj62]

Congrats on the move to Wa State - I'm sure you'll find a good local market out here. Once you get settled, I'd be interested to pursue a simple fj62 rear bumper. Good success in the move.

 

[lcwizard]

I remember Spokane being quite beautiful. In '81 I lived there a year with my fiancee, soon to be wife, shortly after Mt St. Helen blew up. We were close to Geiger field. My wife worked for FED EX and was there with one other to set up a station there. Fed ex was small at the time and didn't have the resources they do now. I spent a lot of time helping her and Rob get the station up and running in an unofficial position. The B-52's ( not the band ) were deployed there. I used to go out and watch them fly. I'm sure it's changed a lot in 35 years. I did get bored for the lack of open land for wheeling. Being from Az where there are 1000's of miles to explore in every direction, getting used to having everything privately owned took getting used to. My 40 became more a street vehicle. Eventually I came back to AZ. Washington was in a pretty bad way as far as economy goes. Carter had killed lumber ( but not peanuts ) in a tariff war with Japan who had been one of Washington's biggest buyers. Much of Washington was in double digit unemployment in the early 80's there were other politically motivated hiring restrictions that I'd like to forget that made it difficult for both employees and employers. Washington has always considered itself "forward thinking" or progressive. A lot of that may be the influx of Californians that started in the 70's and never really stopped. The recent legislation on minimum wages is evidence.
Washington will always be in the top ten as far as unemployment goes because their residents are good hearted and full of good intention.
However , if you've ever owned your own business you will know that there ARE people that will never be worth minimum wage, no matter what that wage is. To force a business to pay a scale like that ensures a certain 10 % will never be employable. Their only hope is to collect government checks or find work under the table at a sub minimum wage

 

[TRAIL TAILOR]

I never plan to have employees (waste of money for a small business no matter what state your in, IMO...) Most people are not worth minimum wages, the actual good hard workers are screwed by the vast amount of slackers out there that expect a check just because.....

WA state is at 5.8% unemployment (MAY '16) Spokane at 6.1% (to what I'm used to @ 5.6% in Wyoming)

Plus I'm only 6 hours away from our land and future vacation home in Golden, BC.

J

 

[lcwizard]

Jason,
Bernie is never going to hire you as his PR guy.

 

[TRAIL TAILOR]

Jason,
Bernie is never going to hire you as his PR guy.

Dave,

I could be a Democrat for Bernie...

BUT I WILL NEVER BE A DEMOCRAT FOR CLINTON OR A REPUBLICAN FOR TRUMP..... END OF MY POLITICAL STANCE.


Ranking the States by Fiscal Condition 2016 Edition | Mercatus

J

 

[lcwizard]

It is sad when the best choice is still no better than skydiving without a parachute. Bernie's not in enough corporate pockets to get elected.
What's the old saying..." When America coughs, the world catches cold". I don't think the world needs to worry about a cold after the next election....it'll be closer to syphilis.

 

[Landpimp]

sweet, your in WA, welcome......your on the free side of the state

 

[LuckySomer]

Any word on your pricing? (particularly the full monte for an FJ80) I'm looking forward to getting off the wait list.

 

[TRAIL TAILOR]

Any word on your pricing? (particularly the full monte for an FJ80) I'm looking forward to getting off the wait list.

Sent you a PM on updates and possible lead times.

J

 

[freepowder]

Dave,

I could be a Democrat for Bernie...

BUT I WILL NEVER BE A DEMOCRAT FOR CLINTON OR A REPUBLICAN FOR TRUMP..... END OF MY POLITICAL STANCE.


Ranking the States by Fiscal Condition 2016 Edition | Mercatus

J

www.johnsonweld.com

 

[TRAIL TAILOR]

www.johnsonweld.com

I love that Bernie still hasn't endorsed Clinton... I'd vote for Johnson or Stein before Clinton or Trump.

J

 

[TRAIL TAILOR]

Well guys, I'm here in Spokane (since last Thursday) I had an appointment to sign all my lease paperwork on a shop and when I got to the brokers office today they said it had been leased to someone else. I'm just beside myself. I had an approved application and the broker had my $9K deposit for over 7 weeks. I even called earlier last week to verify that we were on tract to finalize all the paperwork today.

So, not sure when I will get moved now. There are very few shops that will lease to a fabrication/automotive company in Spokane.

I spent the rest of today and will continue tomorrow to look for land to buy and build what I need. If this is the case it may be as late as next spring before I get to fully relocate.

We are definitely going to move and I will be here as soon as I can.

Jason

 

[micruz60]

W T F
Rude welcome...

 

[Delancy]

I never plan to have employees....

Good plan, but not for this reason, as the mentality is flawed.

Most people are not worth minimum wages, the actual good hard workers are screwed by the vast amount of slackers out there that expect a check just because.....

Most hard workers, especially those with actual skills, are paid 3-4 times minimum wage, and many are worth that, from an ROI perspective.

Imagine having a counterpart, not a 'do as I say' flunky, in the shop that understands production, supply, appreciates serving the greater good of the business.

That said, having had numerous skilled employees that did understand the business concept, I'll continue doing all I can to have none....

If this is the case it may be as late as next spring before I get to fully relocate.

According to a trade publication, the average commercial/industrial building permit approval time on the west coast was 13 months, from time application is filed to issuance. (2500-5000SF/250-500k.)

Add 2-3 for engineering/architectural, another couple for weather, and I'd think you'd be lucky to complete by this time next year.

Unsolicited:

Don't build a single use facility, unless defraying income tax liability (have mountains of cash and need to spend or pay).

If building anything, multi tenant in which you may occupy one space, that's leasable in the event the market crashes down on steel fab, next year and you have to close the doors.

As for leasing, may be worth trying CBRE. Take pics of your operation, because, based on pics I've seen, atypical the 'fab/auto' shop that agents or owners are used to cleaning up after.

 

[TRAIL TAILOR]

Good plan, but not for this reason, as the mentality is flawed.



Most hard workers, especially those with actual skills, are paid 3-4 times minimum wage, and many are worth that, from an ROI perspective.

Imagine having a counterpart, not a 'do as I say' flunky, in the shop that understands production, supply, appreciates serving the greater good of the business.

That said, having had numerous skilled employees that did understand the business concept, I'll continue doing all I can to have none....



According to a trade publication, the average commercial/industrial building permit approval time on the west coast was 13 months, from time application is filed to issuance. (2500-5000SF/250-500k.)

Add 2-3 for engineering/architectural, another couple for weather, and I'd think you'd be lucky to complete by this time next year.

Unsolicited:

Don't build a single use facility, unless defraying income tax liability (have mountains of cash and need to spend or pay).

If building anything, multi tenant in which you may occupy one space, that's leasable in the event the market crashes down on steel fab, next year and you have to close the doors.

As for leasing, may be worth trying CBRE. Take pics of your operation, because, based on pics I've seen, atypical the 'fab/auto' shop that agents or owners are used to cleaning up after.

Chris,

My first company (East Texas)- Code vessel fabrication- I had 12 employees all were highly skilled code welders. I paid on average 38$ an hour and paid for all consumables and trucks for my single hand rigs (W2). For my combo hands that had their own equipment and I still supplied everything I was paying upwards of 63$ an hour (1099). Then I had 4 laborers that I paid 12-15$ an hour to do anything non-code related. Early 90's and the best group of guys I could have ever asked to work with. Loyal, dedicated and cared about the work they were pushing out. Even my shop hands stayed late without asking to sweep and straight up for the next days work.

Second company (Front Range Colorado)- I had up to 65 employees -- different field of work. Seemed I was always waiting on late employees, work output was just enough to not get fired. Always asking the supers for raises or requesting time off. I was paying 15-30% more per position than anyone else in the area (2000-2002). My supers and foreman were very dedicated and good men. The labor to semi skilled---- worst I've seen in 20 years and even after leaving and going back to run oil and gas projects... still the worst group I've ever seen.

Since I was 13 years old, I've never been paid minimum wage and with any of my companies I've never paid minimum wage. Up until my second company I always thought it was to low for my groups skills and requirements. Even running jobs I saw 5-15$ an hour above minimum wage plus per diem on most projects.


I won't build in the city limits here in Spokane. Just too much hassle for what I need. Also, as I continue to plan to never have employees I don't need a true commercial facility. What I have now in WY would continue to serve my purposes just fine if it were a little bigger. I spoke with the county and a couple of the town code offices yesterday and looks like the best bet is for me to buy AG zoned land and just file for a permit. Sounds like up to a 5 week turnaround on permits and approval for a shop/garage. Many pole barn/ steel building contractors with blanket "general" structural plans on file and it speeds up the process tremendously from what the county office said, especially on AG zoned land. Residential zoning is a little longer process due to getting waivers from anyone within a 250' habitat from the new structure.

So the plan as of last night is to find 10-40 acres and build the shop and our new home as well.

 

[Overlandeffex]

Well that sucks the agent f#@!^d you... hope you got your deposited back as well. Good luck on finding your property!!! Hope to see you amazing products back up and going again!