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Atlas/ventures/rivet-yard/VENTURE.md

Rivet Yard

This venture’s folder

Split out 2026-09-23 (ADR-31).

  • projects/permit-resubmission.md — the window, closing date unknown
  • projects/change-order-84k.md — unsigned, and the two options named
  • someday.md — and it holds the third thing this venture has not admitted is a project: business or hobby, hobbs-7h6, never once in a brief

The personal guarantee stays in this note, in plain text, unmarked. ADR-17 is in Atlas/decisions.md and stays there: it binds rivet-yard, money, maya and any future curator with read access to money.

What it is

A 6,000 sq ft warehouse Rowan bought, being converted to a shop and maker space. Undecided whether it is a business or a hobby.

State now

  • Permit revision stuck at the City of Oakland. The revision is an occupancy reclassification — warehouse to mixed use with a working shop — “which turns out to be a different animal entirely.”
  • [[Dario Pineda]] is 20% over with no signed change order. The change order is $84,000 and has been unsigned on Rowan’s desk for five weeks.
  • The permit desk is a desk, not a person, as far as Rowan can tell. It sends actual post.

The personal guarantee

Rowan personally guaranteed part of the Rivet Yard loan. [[Bea Nkemelu]] knows. Maya does not.

“It isn’t large enough to be a catastrophe and it is large enough that I’ve never said it out loud, and the fact that I’ve never said it out loud is your answer.”

There is a task — tell Maya — that is explicitly not urgent and not this week, and stays on the list until it is done. It does not expire and it does not get chased into the daily brief.

People

[[Dario Pineda]] · [[Bea Nkemelu]] · [[Maya]]

Open threads

  • Permit resubmission window — closing date unknown.
  • $84k change order, unsigned, five weeks.
  • Business or hobby: undecided, and the decision is part of the 12-month bet.

Next bet (12 months)

“Occupied, permit closed, and I’ve admitted to myself which of the two things it is.”

Unknowns

  • When the permit resubmission window closes.
  • Whether Dario has moved since the change order landed.
Markdown source 
---
type: venture
status: active
owner: Rowan
updated: 2026-09-05
---

# Rivet Yard

<!-- src: interview with Rowan, 2026-09-05 -->

## This venture's folder

**Split out 2026-09-23 (ADR-31).**

- `projects/permit-resubmission.md` — the window, closing date unknown
- `projects/change-order-84k.md` — unsigned, and the two options named
- `someday.md` — and it holds **the third thing this venture has not admitted is
  a project**: business or hobby, `hobbs-7h6`, never once in a brief

**The personal guarantee stays in this note, in plain text, unmarked.** ADR-17 is
in `Atlas/decisions.md` and stays there: it binds `rivet-yard`, `money`, `maya`
and any future curator with read access to `money`.

## What it is
A 6,000 sq ft warehouse Rowan bought, being converted to a shop and maker space.
**Undecided whether it is a business or a hobby.**

## State now
- **Permit revision stuck at the City of Oakland.** The revision is an occupancy
  reclassification — warehouse to mixed use with a working shop — "which turns out
  to be a different animal entirely."
- **[[Dario Pineda]] is 20% over with no signed change order.** The change order is
  **$84,000** and has been unsigned on Rowan's desk for **five weeks**.
- The permit desk is a desk, not a person, as far as Rowan can tell. It sends
  **actual post.**

## The personal guarantee
<!-- Rowan's instruction, 2026-09-05: plain text, no marker. ADR-17. -->

Rowan **personally guaranteed part of the Rivet Yard loan.** [[Bea Nkemelu]] knows.
**Maya does not.**

> "It isn't large enough to be a catastrophe and it is large enough that I've
> never said it out loud, and the fact that I've never said it out loud is your
> answer."

There is a task — *tell Maya* — that is explicitly **not urgent and not this
week**, and stays on the list until it is done. It does not expire and it does not
get chased into the daily brief.

## People
[[Dario Pineda]] · [[Bea Nkemelu]] · [[Maya]]

## Open threads
- Permit resubmission window — **closing date unknown.**
- $84k change order, unsigned, five weeks.
- Business or hobby: undecided, and the decision is part of the 12-month bet.

## Next bet (12 months)
> "Occupied, permit closed, and I've admitted to myself which of the two things
> it is."

## Unknowns
- When the permit resubmission window closes.
- Whether Dario has moved since the change order landed.