TechShop offered safety and basic use training on all of its tools and equipment in addition to advanced and special interest classes and workshops.

[1] Newton, who had been a science adviser to the TV show MythBusters and a College of San Mateo robotics teacher, was also motivated by his students' frustration with lack of access to equipment.

[2] Ridge McGhee, a resident of Atherton, California, was upset by the loss of American manufacturing capability to other countries.

[3] After a highly successful donation drive, the first TechShop officially opened to the public on October 1, 2006 in Menlo Park, California.

[3][4] TechShop had over 9,000 active members and trained over 100,000 people through their skill building classes and STEAM youth programs.

[17] On March 9, 2020, Federal Judge Haywood S. Gilliam, Jr. denied several plaintiff motions, including a request for a new trial.

It was located adjacent to a Lowe's home improvement store and partnered with the chain to host workshops, supply tools, and provide materials.

[20] Internationally, TechShop had partnership locations in Tokyo (with Fujitsu), the United Arab Emirates (with the Department of Education And Knowledge - ADEK [21]), and Ivry (next to Paris), France (with ADEO Leroy Merlin).

[22] Additional partnerships included Samsung, Instructables, Cortex, FutureWorks NYC, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Instruments, and DARPA.

[26] In April 2019, former members and staff of the Redwood City and San Jose locations opened Maker Nexus in Sunnyvale, California as a non-profit makerspace.