Patchwerks, a well-known hardware Synthesizer and modular synth shop in Seattle, US, goes out of business.
With just one click, your new Synthesizer will be at your doorstep in a few days. That’s the convenient way. You can also go to a shop and try out an instrument before buying. However, such real-life music instrument experiences in shops are becoming increasingly rare. The current international economic situation has already led to the closure of many shops.
Just recently, shops like GAK (UK) closed their doors. Here in Austria, too, Klangfarbe is fighting for survival. Another is already game over. Patchwerks has officially announced that they are going out of business and that the shop is already closed.
Patchwerks
Patchwerks was a music instrument shop in Seattle, Washington, USA, that focused primarily on hardware synthesizers and Eurorack modular systems.
In addition to their commercial activities, they regularly organized events that brought the community together. For example, they hosted an event series called Showroom Sessions featuring various synth artists.
The store had been struggling for some time. A few months ago, a GoFundMe campaign was launched where they raised $33.185, but it was not enough to save the business.
Today, the official news came that it’s over. The owners have permanently closed the store. Here is the official message:
“Patchwerks has closed.
It has been an incredible ride. We created Patchwerks to make a ‘third place’ away from home and the office that was a safe space for people who wanted to explore making sounds and music with synthesizers.
We started with our meetups in 2016 and grew from there to a little shack off Eastlake Avenue. Then, we outgrew that space and had a shot at a large, beautiful showroom. It was a risk, but we took it. There we had an amazing time building out the store, investing in the community, hosting shows, and more.
We encountered plenty of difficulties in the last few years, and unfortunately now is the time to close the book on our journey.
Having said that, it has been an honor to share our love of synthesizers, music, noise, and community with you all. Keep exploring and keep making sounds. We wish everyone well for what’s next.”
The news is sad because more and more Synthesizer shops are disappearing. Online shopping is convenient, but it’s not the same as trying out and buying synths in a physical store.
Since modern synth shops are more than just retailers but also community hubs where like-minded people can meet, Seattle is losing an essential point for synth enthusiasts. RIP Patchwerks!
More information here: shop website
They started in 2016 when Seattle was booming, moved to a bigger location in 2021 in spite of that boom being long since over, i.e. they misread the economy. So no, it’s not a reflection of dire times, it’s a reflection of a niche store going under due to poor management.
But as the article says, it’s not just this shop, and more broadly it’s not even just this retail sector. Commercial floorspace rents were allowed to rocket from the 90s to now, and simultaneously online sales have eaten into the market significantly. We need heavy rent controls to scale this back.
I was somewhat close to a lot of what happened here…. This is 100% the case. To an extent, both things can be true – it is hard to run a store like that now, but they had zero contingencies for anything changing – They were counting on “tech money” to keep things growing, and made bets that required that money to never stop growing. It was the sort of management you see from someone who has only ever seen favorable conditions.
I respect the vision they had of running community events and classes, but the vision far outpaced the reality – their space was also much larger than any synth shop could possibly justify, much larger than many all-in-one music shops that carried synths in addition to other instruments, and I am fairly sure that the expensive lease (that i imagine was not on the most favorable terms) is what made it impossible for them to bounce back.
Well managed businesses do not run gofundme campaigns like they did – if you are at the point where a for-profit business is soliciting donations just to service debt, its too late. At the end of it, they were selling used items on commission and using the proceeds of the entire sale — not just their cut, but the percentage that was to go to the original seller — to pay off debt, and paying the original seller in installments, if at all. That’s where poor management crossed over into actual malice… and I can speak confidently on that, because I was of those commission sellers, and I had to hound them like a collections agency.
Same thing happened to a lot of people in Austin at SwitchedOn. So many vendors got burned and then they just closed the doors and ran.
Bax Music restarted
Ah okay, didn’t see that.
That GoFundMe was the equivalent of a failing restaurant adding a Sunday jazz brunch. I hope the $33K made it into the hands of vendors who trusted them.
yeah, it Sucks with klangfarbe Here in Austria.
bought a Lot. but i know many people (guitar Players) they bought online for years.
i cannot understand it. want to try a Machine.
we Had 2 drum Stores in Vienna But both closed Long Time ago. the owner of the Last is now at klangfarbe.
love patchwerks!
If Perfect Circuit is next, I will cry.
I want to believe Perfect Circuit is far better managed
For years Perfect Circuit and its endless sales/discount codes have had nasty effects on the retail sector of the boutique synth industry. Talk with any other retail shop and they’ll tell you their profit margins are already quite small. PC’s aggressive discounting + manufacturers selling more and more direct to consumers spell trouble-a-brewing for the big picture. Especially for indie builders and smaller shops. The synth market is not safe from the corporatization of America and abroad. PC on track to be the new synth-market-oligarchs of N America. Talk with the synth builders and they’ll tell you buyers are now conditioned to the holy discount code, which usually just inflates the base price… If you enjoy having a synth store near you, you should make a point to shop there instead of PC, at least once in a while.
Wow, how sad! I’ve received my order from them 4 days ago.. RIP Patchwerks
It’s sad to see them go. That said the longer post by Former Patchwerk Supporter is informative. Given my day job is helping people with developing strategy and innovations, I wish they had done some scenario planning. I bet that would have at least helped them be more informed about the choices they were making and avoid some of the only good times forecasts they were probably making.
Sounds like they kept good customer service until the end based on the Vlad’s post…
Very unfortunate to read… but to be honest I see this often from a professional perspective. There is a huge difference between having a business and “running” a business. The feedback of the former supporter emphasises what I mean. Running a business means taking decisions, that may not always be popular or may steer away from an original wild plan… Having a business is like selling stuff and doing stuff without a long long term perspective. I agree, the economic climate is far from ideal for synth shops and businesses but even then taking right decisions can avoid drama like this.
I wish everyone all the best and hope there were no collateral damages for all parties involved.