Kulak's Woodshed 2022 Fundraiser

THIS KULAK'S WOODSHED FUNDRAISER FROM JUNE OF 2022 IS CLOSED AND NO LONGER ACTIVE.

PLEASE CLICK THE FOLLOWING LINK FOR THE CURRENT 2023 KULAK'S WOODSHED GO FUND ME EFFORT HERE:

Kulak's Woodshed Fundraiser for 3X Rent Increase

Hi Folks,

I'm really sorry to break this to you all...

I received a letter last April from Kulak's Woodshed's new landlord's Real Estate Company informing me that the Woodshed rent has been raised to its actual market value.

As of June 1st, 2022, the Kulak's Woodshed rent has been tripled. (It's actually on the low end of the market rate in this area.)

The terms in the new lease included a huge new security deposit.

We've set up this Go Fund Me fundraising effort to help offset the additional monthly rent amount.

If you are able, please make a donation so that Kulak's Woodshed can continue to celebrate singer songwriters for many more years to come here in this crazy lil' labor of love.

Yes, I am devastated.

It’s scary to consider that the amount of additional rent per year as of June 1st amounts to nearly half of our total gross income for 2019 which was good year for us even though we barely broke even.

MORE CONTEXT

Sadly, our landlord of 23 years recently passed away. He was the best landlord in the world to the Woodshed in many ways, and since 1999 he only charged a third of what this building is worth. Without him, Kulak's Woodshed could never have been possible.

Since then, his estate has retained a Property Management Company.

This is the greatest challenge the Woodshed has ever faced. But my mind is made up. I am totally determined to step up, make the adjustment, and somehow do whatever it takes to remain here in this building we've been amazingly fortunate to occupy.

So much incredible music has been made here and it’s kind of a miracle that the Woodshed still exists after all these years but I intend on keeping it open for as long as possible. My thanks to all of the artists, patrons, and volunteers for helping the Woodshed get this far.

We have so much to be thankful for. Thousands of singer-songwriters, from beginners to Grammy winners have performed here with their friends, families and fans in attendance, where together, our little Woodshed continues to celebrate the love of music, creating countless wonderful memories that will last a lifetime.

UPDATE AS OF AUGUST 23rd.

This GoFundMe effort to offset the huge recent rent increase took off running last April, but has stalled over the past few months, far short of our goal.

Also, Artist bookings here have only recovered to about 50% of our pre-pandemic levels.

As a result, most of the Woodshed monthly bills are being paid with the money from an SBA loan I got in January originally intended to do upgrades for the Woodshed amounting to several thousand dollars each month and now with the new, huge rent increase that started June 1st… *yikes.*

Among many things, I was hoping to use the SBA loan money to repair/buy needed equipment, hire a professional artist booker, a handyperson to help me make the Woodshed look nicer. I also wanted to develop a school for music education in the afternoon, as well as live video production workshops and audio training, a writer and photographer to create a Story of Kulak's Woodshed coffee table book. I also need someone who can help me with business tasks and things I am not very good at to make the Woodshed self-sustaining with the goal of realizing its true potential.

With your help, we can get this done. I'll never give up. I remember why I started the Woodshed in the first place, and it keeps me hanging on as long as I can.

Gratefully,

Paul Kulak