I yearn to be empowered to make things. Since graduating from college with a manufacturing engineering degree I’ve done little-to-no making, mirroring what’s happened in the United States. We’ve become a consumer nation and I’ve become a consuming person. I yearn to change this and this is the story of my odyssey of a month spent in San Francisco learning the modern tools of the art of making.
Makerspaces, Fab Labs, Maker Companies, Education
17 classes in the first two weeks
Buy supplies before I leave …
TechShop RDU
Just north of RDU airport at the end of a road in an 18,000 sq ft building is TechShop. Acquired by TechShop as recently as November 2010 this shop is still vey much in transition. Operated as a franchise previously, it is very much a going concern but far from integrated into corporate TechShop. While it has equipment galore, plenty of experienced staff, teaching resources, etc its systems, policies and procedures are are independent. While it’ll take time to become a corporate TechShop, the staff is experiencing funding and integration that demonstrate its in process. It was good to hear pride in their voices that this TechShop when integrated will have a positive impact on the whole because, for instance, their training materials are much better developed or their embroidering hardware is superior. Evan gave me a pretty comprehensive tour of both buildings and I was impressed. This is a serious large scale workshop.
Splat Space
The product of a serial space maker, Alan started Interlock in Rochester, NY before moving to Durham for work in 2010. He wanted a space and worked his way thought the typical path: speaking to groups, establishing a regular coffee shop meetup and eventually finding enough of a core audience that he could look for a space and take the leap. The 1,100 sq ft space is one big room in the basement of an old downtown high rise. There are 20-22 paying members, most of whom are voting members and pay $50/month but some are student/unemployed at $35 or associates at $20. The associates do not have 24/7 access nor the right to store projects in the space.
Of interesting note are two distinct features. The pre-Splat Space audience was drawn from both Raleigh and Durham but when Alan said he’d only sign a lease near where he lived (Durham) he lost half the group. Also, with a TechShop within 20 minutes of Durham he finds that big projects are done there and smaller things like electronics, 3D printers, classes, etc are done in Splash Space. Seems you could consider a complimentary positioning if a TechShop is your neighbor.
Makerspace Charlotte
Freeport
MFJ Enterprises