Now you see it...

Rapid Transit Cycleshop has always had an open mechanics' area.

It was a philosophical decision Chris and I made when we opened the shop. Chris had worked in several bike shops where the service area was hidden from public eye, and he had come to believe that this did nothing to build appreciation for the mechanics' work or foster the customers' trust. When we opened our own bike store, it was always with the idea that the service area would in full view and accessible to our customers.

So when some of our staff advanced the idea of building a wall to separate the service area from the rest of the store, all heck broke loose.

The idea was borne of the fact that in the heat of the summer it's very difficult for exposed mechanics to get any work done. We have six repair stands. In theory, those in the back of the shop are designated for longer projects, such as tune-ups and bike builds. The ones in the front are for triage and quick repairs. Inevitably, though, the mechanic doing "shorts" gets caught up in something a little more complicated, and before you know it, the mechanic from the back gets flagged down by a customer, has to set his task aside, and come help out. This wreaks havoc in our carefully orchestrated schedule of assemblies and repairs, causes us to fall behind, which in turn causes some disgruntlement among customers.

Further, having this open area creates a friendly atmosphere, which is lovely on the one hand, but on the other it poses problems when customers interpret that too literally, and come and "hang out" with the mechanics. In winter, this is a pleasant diversion but during the warm months it only compounds the difficulties mentioned earlier.

The mechanics, committed to the idea of staying on task, demanded a wall. The management (ie. us) recoiled, and issued this statement:

I am not thinking of constructing a wall! Walls have gotten a bad name, like the Berlin wall, or the wall of separation between the Israelis and the Palestinians. I am thinking of a partition that will serve a number of purposes.

The mechanics saw right through this politically charged rhetoric, and snapped back:

Call it what you like, the most important feature of this "partition" is to effectively allow those in the back to get work done uninterrupted. One of the things that can have an interrupting effect is eye contact. As long as this structure is high enough , then our time and sweat will be worth it.

The management relented, somewhat, still restating its commitment to the original philosophy:

I always imagined Rapid Transit as an open shop.  Any style of partition is a big change in our space.  What the structure is called, and how it works, sends a message.
Before I build the structure we will try a faux cardboard wall first.  When I build it I will do it in a modular form so that the height can be adjusted, as the exact height and dimensions have not been fixed yet.

In the end, we compromised. Two "walltitions", as they came to be called, were built and installed against the east and west walls of the shop, separating three rear repair stands and bike wash area from the rest of the shop. The structures are higher where they meet the walls, and lower toward the center, and there is a gap wide enough for a couple in ballroom attire to waltz through. Thus the "walltition" manages to provide a visual and psychological barrier so the mechanics in the back to concentrate on their work, and at the same time maintains some of the open feeling we were seeking to preserve.

But, as you can see, we don't make these decisions lightly around here.

Comments

[matt]

My local shop has a repair area with a sort of half door separating it from the rest of the shop. Really it's two doors, one going up to about waist height and the other covering the upper part of the doorway. The bottom door is usually the only one closed, so that customers can talk to the mechanic working on their bike. When things get really hectic, the mechanic can close the upper door and focus solely on his or her work. It seems to work out.