Black Rock City Municipal Hardware Shoppe
Our Purpose:
The name says it all. Black Rock City Hardware Shoppe will be on-site with a variety of tools and supplies to help fix or build things that are broken or need to be built on the playa. We are proud to have spent over 10 years serving Black Rock City in this capacity.
We have hand tools, power tools, nails, nuts, bolts, tape, string, wire, paint, bike tools, automotive tools, glue, rivets, and whatever else we can manage to fit on the truck. We enjoy helping people work on art projects and helping camps who have suffered structural difficulties, but we also help with minor automotive problems, generator issues, and fix an inordinate amount of bikes. Whatever people bring us, we’ll try and fix if we can. We do not have lots of raw building materials such as 2x4s, PVP pipes, or plywood, but do have a need/want bulletin board for people who have excess or are looking for such to communicate their needs.
Interactivity
As a camp, we love the challenge of fixing interesting problems. We also love to meet and interact with the people who come in for help, whether they are desperate to have something repaired or just want to hang out in the shade for a while. Once in a while we get the chance to help create spontaneous art projects with spare materials and inspiration from the people who drop in. Not only have we helped artists and residents in need, but we’ve also provided assistance to various infrastructure organizations in the city.
Camp Structure:
In front, we have a sign that also acts as a bike rack, which is usually set back about 5 feet from the road so the guy wires and bikes won’t get in the way. The main part of the camp is a large helicopter repair tent about 40′ wide and 80′ long including guy wires. The front is open, revealing our shop, which has our work tables, chairs, parts and tools. Beyond the shop, the tent is split into two additional sections: our communal living space, followed by all personal tents. The interior edge of camp (bordering neighbor camps) will have a line of vehicles, our shower structure, and evap pit.
We have enjoyed being on the inner circle, mainly because we need to be on the grid in order to use our power tools. It also helps for us to be centrally located and easy to find, as our camp is about helping people in need. We’ve enjoyed camping near Lanceland (yay, white noise!) and Bike Rock City, as we all provide a certain amount of infrastructure and have helped each other out in the past.
Leave No Trace Plan
We follow standard “leave no trace” procedure. Everything we pack in, we pack out, and we avoid bringing unnecessary packaging with us. We do everything we can to make sure our area comes out green on the MOOP map.
Our gray water from sinks and showers is deposited in an evaporation fountain so that none is spilled on the playa. Our main camp floor is entirely covered in canvas drop cloth in order to reduce the amount of wear and tear caused by our being there. We have a magnetic broom in order to pick up any metal bits or shavings that may have fallen to the floor during our work.
All trash is separated into different containers for proper disposal: burnables, compost, glass and aluminum, plastic, and trash. What burnable trash we have will be collected in paper bags and burned on the city platforms. The entire infrastructure of our camp is compact and re-usable. After we are all packed up, we move our vehicles off and form a search line to walk our space and pick up anything that is not playa.
Safety Plan
Our camp has an assigned first responder with first aid certification for medical emergencies at all times. We keep a stocked medical supply kit in the shop at all times, as well as placing fire extinguishers both in the shop and living areas. Most camp personnel are professional builders and/or fire performers, and we apply all applicable safety procedures to our activities at all times. This includes ear and eye protection when working with power tools, notifying bystanders before engaging in something that will produce noise, sparks, intense light, or projectiles.
