Story and Photos by Camas Frank
With a packed open house and grand re-opening in a larger location January 23, the SLO MakerSpace may have just crossed the threshold from tentative start-up to a local institution. A little over two-years old officially, the company has a strong community presence with more people than ever before are now familiar with the concept of what a makerspace is.
That’s in part thanks to a statewide push for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) starting in grade school, which the company is supporting through their non-profit Maker Academy effort. Just in case the term is unfamiliar, SLO MakerSpace is designed to be a kind of collaborative, multidiscipline gym, except they have lasers, material design seminars and power tools that need certification to operate. The muscles they’re building are the ability to carry a project from concept to completion for a monthly fee to keep the place running and the cost of your own materials.
Next to the laser cutter – which costs 50 cents a minute to operate so plan carefully and run once – is an etched wood tile which reads, “Make Stuff, Not War.”
That’s pretty much the sentiment of SLO MakerSpace founder and CEO, Clint Slaughter who is still a full time emergency room physician. The entire enterprise is about allowing creative people to come together work on their hobby projects or start some new ones using tools and space they wouldn’t otherwise be able to access. A main benefit is that compared to the garage tinkerer, safety is also paramount and members can learn new skills the right way first. Certification courses for most of the heavy equipment will cost $25, but they also keep a long list of “instructables” for each machine available on the website just to keep users current.
The unique approach has the attention of the SLO County Library system.
While many of the SLO MakerSpace’s corporate board members were manning demo stations and showing off their own projects for the four hour open house, Christopher Barnickel, library director, and Chase McMunn, assistant library director, were both on hand to launch a cooperative effort between SLO County Libraries and the SLO MakerSpace. They took the time to explain for anyone coming in the door that a library card will now buy holders more than just knowledge, they’ll receive 15 hours per week of time to practice crafts at the MakerSpace.
Barnickel said the funds for the partnership come from the library’s budget for special programs and it seemed a wiser move to help the SLO MakerSpace out in a partnership than try opening their own workshop. It’s fitting as several of SLO MakerSpace’s original onetime programs held before they found a permanent location, were held in the Library’s multipurpose rooms.
The all new SLO MakerSpace is located at 81 Higuera Street, suites 160 and 180 in a larger and much easier to keep clean area. Open 24-hours for members who come in groups of two or more, more info can be found at: www.slomakerspace.com/membership.
