Published: 12/5/2022 18:58:29
Updated: 12/5/2022 18:58:07
Wanted: Nice industrial building in Concord area, not much updated, open for casual use. Contact the city's homeless shelter.
"We didn't need a Class A manufacturing facility. We needed a building that was less demanding of a traditional business that can pay high rents," said Jared Reynolds, president of Concord MakerSpace, which is building its first home. Inside the Bid Electric Building on the left side of Penacook. "We didn't see a lot of vacancies in Concord."
The biggest flaw at Concord Place, formerly known as Making Matters, is that Concord isn't apparently a mill town like other small towns in New England. Empty factory buildings, often neglected for decades, cheap to rent and less desirable for moving tenants, are hot spots to work, but hard to find nearby.
The Concord maker space had hoped to move to NHTI, a community college, but the finances weren't working out, Reynolds said.
Creators often describe gym memberships as DIY. Charities that are run by volunteers usually have facilities and workplaces for members and the community as well as activities and training and a sense of community. They have operated around 10 labs of varying sizes and expertise since 2010, when the Nashua MacKeit lab opened in New Hampshire, and now from Keene to Portsmouth, Clermont and Wolfeboro.
Concord Makerspace opened in the old Bay Electric building just as the pandemic shut down and closed everything else, but it brings together lots of paid members and tools for woodworking, textiles, and even bicycle repair. Class is going on, I can hear it.
But Reynolds said the building's long-vacant problems, including a leaky roof and high-utility office space, made it difficult for them to live. The equipment has been stored, and a search is underway for a new location.
"We are fortunate to be in a good financial position," said Reynolds, thanks to a Community Development Fund tax credit grant to buy equipment and hire part-time staff next year. "This will help us grow and do more classes. As a volunteer organisation, this is always a challenge.
For more information, visit https://concordmakerspace.org. Email info@makingmattersnh.org if you have ideas for a home.
