Hey Guys. Haven't been on here for a while, but wanted to share what happened to my shop about 5 weeks ago. A fire started in the neighboring shop and quickly spread to our shop. Take a look at the video:
Here's an article on the shop too:
http://www.berkeleyside.com/2014/04/13/west-berkeley-fire-causes-5-million-in-damage-destroys-20-artisan-businesses/
We were a group of artists and crafts people who collectively used the space to work on projects and collaborate on design, welding, woodcraft, and art. Its been a crazy past few weeks, but we're starting to hold some fundraisers. We started a GofundMe page that I wanted to share, and hoped you all could share as well with your networks:
http://www.gofundme.com/95pgrg
Most of the members of our shop don't have insurance, so this has been a total loss for them. As a friendly reminder and contribution to the safety forum, if you have a shop, carry at least some insurance and make sure to photograph your tools and materials. I had documentation and was able to provide those to the insurance company and was covered for most of my losses.
We hope we can rebuild and get back on our feet and be an even greater asset to the Bay Area community. Thanks for looking.