Everett Business Leaders Propose a Community Workshop
The Commercial Association pitches an industrial scheme to local carpenters to keep Everett's mechanics employed year-round.
The story, cleaned up
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President Fowler of the Commercial Association and Chairman Brown of the Industrial Committee recently proposed a plan to the local carpenters' union to ensure steady employment for Everett’s building tradesmen. They suggested a factory equipped with professional woodworking machinery be established, where carpenters could use the tools to produce furniture for themselves or for sale, with the Association handling the marketing. The goal is to keep local mechanics working during the months when building projects are scarce. While the carpenters expressed interest, they remained non-committal, voicing concerns about potential monopolization of the equipment and worries regarding who would ultimately profit from the sales.
“It would benefit Everett much more if steady employment could be provided for the mechanics now living here than it would to induce people to come here for whom there was no employment.”
This proposal reflects an early attempt at a 'maker space' or community workshop aimed at sustaining the local middle class—a precursor to modern initiatives aimed at economic diversification and support for local tradespeople.
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