Letitia Pryor, Nicole Stephan and a seven-person steering committee from BV Made found a new location for the makerspace.
Stephen and Pryor had looked at light industrial spaces for a makerspace, including the former Tomken Jeep Building a few miles north of town and the former BV Auto Building on Highway 24, but by signing a contract to use a renovated gas station that was until recently an ATV and Jeep rental spot, the BV Made team secured a location in the heart of town that would function not only as a makerspace but also as a retail store selling BV Made products.
The team is currently brainstorming ideas for how to utilize the building.
“We have a lot of ideas and a lot of things to do,” Pryor said, whose ideas include six artist studio spaces, an art supply store, retail shops, wood and metal stores and a multi-use area for work that will need to be cleaned of sawdust and metal shavings.
“The retail space and location are just magical. We're really happy to have a 24-hour store and we want people to come and ask questions and look in the windows,” Stephan says. “Tourists are welcome. We're hoping to organize a little project next summer that people can get involved in.”
“It's like a DIY bar. Customers come in and say, 'I want to make a little handbag,' and we give them everything they need to do that. We have all the tools and scraps of leather, so they can make a handbag and go right back,” Pryor says. “So it pairs really well with going rafting in the morning. What are you going to do in the afternoon?”
Thanks to donations from local woodworkers, the makerspace is equipped with what's needed for basic woodworking; Pryor and Stephens are still searching for equipment for metalworking.
Looking to the future, Stephan hopes to see BV Made expand into the world of computer numerical control equipment.
“We still need to get clamps and stuff, but all the big parts have been donated, which is huge for us,” Pryor said.
Pryor and Stephens attribute BV Made’s success so far to the diverse volunteers they’ve been attracted to the project.
“They all bring different skill sets. Our steering committee members are great,” Pryor said.
Stephens said that while the initial focus will be on woodworking and metalworking, BV Made will seek community input on what other tools BV's makers need going forward: The steering committee is discussing sourcing industrial sewing equipment, and Stephens said other makerspaces he's seen incorporate things like outdoor blacksmithing.
“We just want to give people what they need, and ideally have a space where they can apply for grant money, that's the goal,” Stephan said.
Pryor said he and Stephen envision opening BV Made in stages, with the studio space opening as early as next month.
“Then we'll start work on the retail space, likely later in the fall, and we hope to have it completed by at least the end of the year,” Pryor said.
The makerspace will be open to former BV Made members initially.
Pryor said BV Maids plans to offer programs such as a work-share system that allows people to earn work hours in exchange for helping with cleaning and putting away equipment, so that those who can't afford the monthly membership fee can still use the facilities.
Ultimately, the aim is to give local people a place to build their own arts and crafts-based businesses without having to make a large upfront investment to buy tools.
“I think a big part of what makerspaces provide to the community is a place where people can learn skills they can't learn anywhere else. I know there are great industrial arts programs in high schools, but when kids graduate from there, they don't have access to that kind of woodworking,” Stephens said.
“If they want to start a business, if they have an idea, but they don't have their own tools, they don't have a place to go. So this is giving them an opportunity to continue that… The more we can grow small businesses here, the better jobs we have. Again, it's all a question of, 'What can we do for this region? How can we make this a better place to live?'” Pryor said.
“And it gives people a place to come together and share ideas. When people are creative and inspire each other, ideas grow,” says Stephan. “Ideas spread all over the place. You start with one thing, and then someone who's done something similar before comes up with a bunch of ideas, or they know the tools and they say, 'Hey, why don't you try this?'”
