Astoria Woodworking Group Opens Brick-And-Mortar Space

ASTORIA, QUEENS — A popular carpentry group in the neighborhood is set to open its first brick-and-mortar venue this weekend after securing a lease in February.

Astoria Woodworkers Collective will be stationed at 12-10 Astoria Blvd., near the Queens Public Library, slated to open its doors with a party on May 6 starting at 12 p.m.

“We’re ridiculously excited to finally open this space up to the community,” says JohnBohlmeyer, president of AWC’s board. “We are looking forward to seeing it grow as we continue to partner with community organizations and provide opportunities for people to practice their craft.”

The grand opening party will include free burgers from Tikkun BBQ and Prince Abou’s Butchery. The collective will raffle off prizes from community shop sponsors including Earth & Me, The Bier & Cheese Collective, Shop Side B, Coffee + Cake, and more.

Astoria Woodworking Collective stemmed from a group of Astorians looking for a woodworking shop in the summer of 2020. Since then, the group has mostly had a nomadic presence while providing safety training and classes.

The classes have been virtual and the team has built projects on-site or at various shops outside the city. The collective launched a Kickstarter page to raise funds to renovate the new space.

The group partners with other organizations including Free Store Astoria, the Moore Jackson Community Garden, Island Bee Project, Astoria Park Alliance, The Rolling Library, and others.

Learn more about the Astoria Woodworkers Collective on its website.