BRIAN SCHAFFRAN

OWNER, SKIDMARK GARAGE

CLEVELAND, OH

I own a community motorcycle garage called Skidmark Garage where people work on their bikes themselves. I was born and raised in Cleveland. In the ‘90’s I moved to LA to become an actor and then moved back here in 2000 and got a job as an educator. While in LA, I had this idea for a garage where everybody could fix their own stuff. But I was in my twenties and broke, so I just sat on the idea for 20 years. I finally opened the garage in 2015. People pay a monthly membership fee and can use all the tools provided. So there’s this community of great people that are like-minded, working on their own motorcycle. While the tools are valuable, I’m finding that members find the most value in the culture, community, and other members.

I didn’t know it until I had owned the business for a couple of years, I believe the whole purpose of being on the planet is to help others. As religious as that might sound, and I’m not into any sort of religion, when we do it, tremendous joy is created. Kids always want to be helpers. And then as adults, we’re so focused on ourselves, we forget how awesome it is to help others. I often refer to the garage as the pinnacle of human existence. Everyone that comes in gets to work with their hands and get dirty and help someone else. 

What’s BS? Not being able to repair your own stuff. People complain today’s youth don't know how to fix things. Yeah, well that’s because yesterday’s youth changed the way everything’s made and designed so today’s youth cannot even attempt to learn how to fix this stuff.

The pandemic closed me for a couple of months as it did most people. I was terrified that I was not going to be able to make it through. The thing that blew my mind was I had people, members, and non-members, reach out to me during the pandemic and offer to pay my rent.

What’s that saying, ‘no good deed goes unpunished? Since the pandemic, I feel like every good deed goes rewarded. Every time I step up and fight for what I believe in, it strengthens every aspect of my life and it’s fantastic.

“I couldn’t be happier about the community that exists at Skidmark Garage. It is super welcoming and our motto is ‘All are welcome who welcome all, no douchebags allowed’ because one douchebag can ruin the entire community. The community that exists has taken on its own life. I may have been responsible for the initial creation, but it’s now its own thing and I’m just the guardian of it.”