Shopnotes Magazine

What Shopnotes Magazine does

ShopNotes Magazine is a bimonthly woodworking publication published by Active Interest Media and based in Des Moines, Iowa. Its core product is a print and digital magazine delivering detailed project plans, hand-tool reviews, technique instruction, and shop organization content aimed at hobbyist and professional woodworkers. The brand sits within the larger Woodsmith family alongside Woodsmith, Popular Woodworking, and the Woodsmith Shop TV show, sharing editorial staff including podcast host Phil Huber and editors Logan Wittmer and John Doyle.

The company extends its content IP across multiple product surfaces: the ShopNotes Podcast (238+ episodes as of July 2025) on audio and YouTube, a free email newsletter, the Woodworkers Archive USB drive containing back issues of several defunct woodworking magazines, and integration with WoodsmithPlans.com for premium downloadable project plans. Its technology stack is conventional publishing infrastructure — Contentful CMS powers shopnotes.com and Dragonforms manages subscription lifecycle.

Revenue is generated through four streams: recurring magazine subscriptions (print and digital), advertising (including long-running podcast sponsorships with Quick Screws, Titebond, and Harvey Industries), one-time-license sales of project plans via WoodsmithPlans.com, and hardware sales of the Woodworkers Archive USB through the Woodsmith store. The go-to-market motion is community-led and direct-to-consumer, targeting a horizontal audience of dedicated enthusiast woodworkers who value step-by-step plans and expert guidance. The Woodsmith brand traces back to 1978, giving ShopNotes a long-standing content archive and recognized authority in the niche.

Name

Shopnotes Magazine

Legal name

Active Interest Media

Website

https://shopnotes.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

ShopNotes Magazine is a bimonthly print and digital woodworking publication under Active Interest Media, serving hobbyist and professional woodworkers with project plans, technique instruction, and tool reviews, extended through a podcast, newsletter, and project-plan store.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Woodworking Publications

NAICS

Book Retailers and News Dealers (459210)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYCRALACAL

Hobby & Craft Instructional Books/Patterns Retail (In-store/Physical)

Consumer Products & Retail/Specialty Retail (Hobby, Books, Office, Pet, Toys)/Arts, Crafts & Hobby Supplies Retail

Keywords

• Woodworking magazine
• Project plans
• Hand tools
• Shop projects
• Woodworking podcast

Headquarters

HQ city

Des Moines

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Magazine Subscriptions: Print and digital magazine subscriptions for ShopNotes, a woodworking publication covering projects, hand tools, and workshop techniques
2. Advertising: Advertising opportunities reaching passionate, dedicated woodworkers. Media kit available for download with marketing solutions including custom video, events, and online branding opportunities
3. Project Plans (WoodsmithPlans.com): Related product sales through associated brand WoodsmithPlans.com, featuring detailed woodworking project plans
4. Woodworkers Archive: USB drive product containing back issues of discontinued woodworking magazines (American Woodworker, ShopNotes, Woodsmith Time-Life Books, Woodwork Magazine, Woodworking Magazine, Workbench Magazine)

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ShopNotes is a bimonthly woodworking publication that delivers project plans, shop tips, tool reviews, and technique articles aimed at hobbyist woodworkers. Its offering spans a print and digital magazine, a companion podcast, a free email newsletter, and ancillary digital products such as project plans and a USB-archived back-issue collection sold through the Woodsmith brand storefront. The publication operates as part of the Woodsmith editorial family under Active Interest Media, leveraging cross-brand content, advertising, and audience reach.

Product overview

ShopNotes Magazine operates as a woodworking publication brand under Woodsmith (an Active Interest Media company), offering a bimonthly print and digital magazine alongside multiple complementary products. The core offering is the ShopNotes Magazine itself, featuring project plans, hand tool reviews, and workshop techniques. The brand extends through the ShopNotes Podcast (audio content), the Woodworkers Archive digital collection, a dedicated store, and integration with WoodsmithPlans.com for premium project plans. These products serve dedicated woodworking enthusiasts seeking project-based education, tool guidance, and technique improvement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ShopNotes Magazine

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Quick ScrewsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPodcast sponsor for 37 years. Quick Screws designs fasteners for specific woods and applications including pocket screws, funnelhead screws for melamine, and exterior rated fasteners. Mentioned in episode 238 as long-term sponsor.
• TitebondminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPodcast sponsor. Titebond produces wood glues including interior glues with strong initial tack and exterior glues with water resistance. Referenced as episode sponsor.
• Harvey IndustriesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPodcast sponsor. Harvey Industries (Harvey Woodworking) produces professional woodworking tools including the Harvey 15-inch portable planer. Referenced in episode 237.
• WoodsmithcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerShopNotes is part of the Woodsmith brand family under Active Interest Media. Shares editorial staff (Phil Huber hosts both ShopNotes Podcast and is associated with Woodsmith). Cross-promotion through Woodsmith Shop TV show and shared audience.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Woodsmith Magazine: Sister publication within the Woodsmith brand family and Active Interest Media. Publishes woodworking projects, plans, and technique content for the same hobbyist/professional audience, with shared editorial staff (Phil Huber) and overlapping subscribers.
• Fine Woodworking: Long-standing Taunton Press specialty woodworking publication competing head-to-head for the same hobbyist audience. Offers print/digital subscriptions, project plans, technique videos, and premium content for serious woodworkers—closely mirroring ShopNotes' offering.
• Wood Magazine: Specialty woodworking publication from the Active Interest Media family of titles (previously). Competes directly in subscriptions, project plans, tool reviews, and how-to articles for the same enthusiast woodworker segment.
• Popular Woodworking Magazine: Direct competitor also owned by Active Interest Media. Publishes the same category of woodworking content—project plans, tool reviews, and technique articles—targeting hobbyist and professional woodworkers with subscriptions and book sales.
• American Woodworker (legacy title): Former competing woodworking magazine whose 185 archived issues are now packaged and sold by ShopNotes (Woodworkers Archive USB). Historical direct competitor with identical audience and content model, illustrating the consolidation of the segment.

Emerging players

• Lost Art Press: Independent specialty publisher focused on hand-tool woodworking books and periodicals. Targets a narrower, premium-paying sub-segment of the same woodworking hobbyist audience ShopNotes serves, representing an emerging direct-to-consumer book/plan competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Fox Chapel Publishing: Major independent publisher of woodworking, woodturning, scroll saw, and crafts books and periodicals. Competes for a portion of ShopNotes' plans and instructional-content revenue, particularly through one-off book and pattern sales.
• Taunton Press: Established multi-title craft publisher (parent of Fine Woodworking, Fine Homebuilding, Threads). Operates broadly across hobby/lifestyle verticals and overlaps with ShopNotes through its flagship woodworking title and book/plan business.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/ShopNotesPodcast
• Xx.com/shopnotes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Shopnotes Magazine