edtang
03-05-2008, 10:21 AM
Mr. Ledyard wrote in this thread here (http://www.aikiweb.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13892):
I see dojos closing. In the Seattle area where every Tom, Dick and Harry opened a dojo during the expansion years (21 dojos at the peak in the immediate metro area) many dojos are now barely getting by.
If you don't mind me asking, when was this peak? Were they all doing well for awhile? I honestly can't imagine that much demand for Aikido here. (Note: this is not a dig at Aikido at all, just a statement about supply/demand as I've been seeing it and based off of Mr. Ledyard's statement). Was there a point where there were just too many places competing against each other?
There is still a ton of Aikido in Seattle, which is great if the dojos are all doing well. Within Seattle city limits google maps can find at least 9 dojos very close to me. ....and a new (?!?) place appears to have opened up on 23rd near Capitol Hill recently (I can't find it on google).
Is it better for a metro area to have fewer schools that are more attended or more schools that may be overly splitting up their constituency / customers?