Some of the world’s most recognisable businesses can trace part of their early history to an ordinary garage or garden workshop. These spaces gave their founders somewhere affordable to experiment, store equipment and develop an idea before moving into larger premises.
However, not every famous garage story is completely accurate. Here are five companies with documented garage beginnings, followed by the truth behind two of the best-known business myths.
Hewlett-Packard
One of the clearest examples is Hewlett-Packard, better known as HP. Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard began working together in a small garage in Palo Alto, California, in the late 1930s.
Their first commercial product was an audio oscillator used to test sound equipment. Walt Disney Studios became an early customer, purchasing equipment for work associated with the sound system used for Fantasia.
The property is now closely associated with the birth of Silicon Valley and the technology businesses that followed.
Harley-Davidson
Harley-Davidson’s first factory was a wooden shed measuring approximately 10 by 15 feet. It stood behind the Davidson family home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
William Harley and Arthur Davidson had been developing an engine that could power a bicycle. Working with Arthur’s brothers, Walter and William Davidson, they established Harley-Davidson in 1903 and sold their first motorcycle from the small wooden building.
That modest workshop marked the beginning of a motorcycle manufacturer that would become known around the world.
Google began as a research project developed by Stanford University students Larry Page and Sergey Brin. After Google was incorporated in 1998, the team moved from student accommodation into its first proper office.
That office was a garage in Menlo Park, California, rented from Susan Wojcicki, who later joined Google and became chief executive of YouTube.
The garage housed computers, servers and the small team during Google’s early development. The company soon outgrew the space, but the property remains an important part of its history.
Amazon
Jeff Bezos founded Amazon in 1994 and initially operated the business from a rented home in Bellevue, Washington. The garage formed part of the company’s first working space.
Amazon began as an online bookseller. Its first book order was placed after the website launched in 1995, and by the end of its first month the company had shipped books throughout the United States and to customers in other countries.
The basic garage office included desks made by attaching legs to inexpensive wooden doors. Amazon continued using versions of these ‘door desks’ as a reminder of its early focus on keeping costs under control.
Disney
When Walt Disney moved to California in 1923, his uncle Robert provided him with accommodation and access to a garage. Walt used the space while developing his early animation work and preparing material connected with the Alice Comedies.
Walt and his brother Roy formally established the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio later that year after securing a distribution agreement. The business soon moved into premises at the back of a nearby real estate office.
The garage was therefore an important early workspace, although the formal Disney studio was established elsewhere.
Did Apple Start in a Garage?
The garage at Steve Jobs’ family home has become one of the most famous locations in technology history. Apple was founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne in 1976, and early computers passed through the Jobs family property.
However, Wozniak later explained that the Apple I was not designed, prototyped or manufactured in the garage. The technical work took place elsewhere, with the property serving as one of several informal spaces used during the company’s earliest days.
The garage remains a powerful symbol of Apple’s beginnings, but the popular version of the story overstates the work completed there.
Did Microsoft Start in a Garage?
Microsoft is also regularly included in lists of garage-founded companies, but there is little evidence to support that claim.
Bill Gates and Paul Allen established the business in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1975 to develop software for the Altair 8800 personal computer. Its early history involved borrowed computer time and modest working spaces, but not the famous garage described in many online lists.
Why Garages Make Useful Workspaces
A garage provides separation from the main home while remaining close enough for convenient everyday use. Depending on its size and specification, it can offer space for:
- Product development and practical experiments
- Tools, components and stock
- Creative or technical work
- A desk and basic office equipment
- A workshop for repairs or small-scale manufacturing
Anyone planning to run a business from home should consider security, lighting, ventilation, insulation, electrical safety and insurance. Planning permission or other approvals may also be required if the use creates regular visitors, deliveries, noise or a material change in how the property is used.
Create a Practical Garage Workspace
You may not be planning the next Google or Harley-Davidson, but a well-designed garage can still provide valuable room for hobbies, practical work or business storage.
Dencroft manufactures sectional concrete garages, concrete workshops and commercial concrete buildings for a range of requirements.
To discuss the size, access and specification needed for your workspace, contact Dencroft Garages for advice and a quotation.
