SPRINGFIELD - On July 12, the downtown community makerspace called Make-It Springfield announced that they will be staying at its current location on 168 Worthington St. for the foreseeable future.  

Originally starting as a temporary pop-up project that opened its doors on June 1, Make-It Springfield is a three-way partnership between MassDevelopment, the University of Massachusetts Design Center in Springfield, and the Springfield Business Improvement District. Due to the continued success of the space’s public workshops, what was supposed to be a short-term excursion has now turned into a permanent fixture.

“Our workshops range from 3D printing, to cooking, to writing, to painting, really covering a whole gamut of different skills” said MassDevelopment Transformative Development Initiative Fellow Laura Masulis. Masulis continued, “We were very pleased with the diversity of workshop topics and participants coming through our doors – everyone from young neighborhood kids to seniors to young professionals from Longmeadow.”

Masulis added that workshops in the afternoon tend to be targeted toward youth, while evenings are more geared towards adults, and weekend activities are designed to be family friendly.

During the month of June, Make-It Space Springfield has seen an array of 30 different artists, entrepreneurs, local non-profits, academic faculty and students host interactive hands-on workshops open to the public. According to Masulis, the vast majority of these workshops are free, and the ones that aren’t are $10 per person at the very most.

Masulis added that Make-It Space was only allotted a 30-day trial period, but the large support given from not only the attendees but the workshop’s host allowed the makerspace to keep running indefinitely.

The calendar of events that lists dates, times, and ticket availability of different workshops can be found on Make-it Springfield Facebook page www.facebook.com/MakeItSpringfield, or on its new website www.makeitspringfield.org.

MassDevelopment is the state's finance and development agency. They work closely with businesses, nonprofits, financial institutions, and communities to develop economic growth across the Commonwealth. During FY2015, MassDevelopment financed or managed 294 projects generating investment of more than $2.5 billion in the Massachusetts economy. These projects are projected to create about 6,100 jobs and build or rehabilitate about 2,000 residential units.

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