Marietta's Makerspace Is Something Else

MARIETTA, OH — Right next to the Washington County Boys and Girls Club in Harmar there is a building with a sign that says BB2C Makerspace. That would be the headquarters for the Washington County Building Bridges to Careers Makerspace. For anyone who doesn’t know what a makerspace is, it’s kind of like a workshop for anything. What do you want to make? Well here’s space and tools to make it. That’s the idea.

Live in Marietta? Click here to subscribe to our free breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox and mobile devices. Follow Marietta Patch on Facebook and Twitter, and download our free Patch mobile app on Android or iPhone

Jared Wittekind is the Makerspace Coordinator for Building Bridges to Careers. “We’re a community hub for creativity and hands-on learning.”

The local makerspace has art supplies, vinyl cutters, a heat press, sewing machines, various materials, patterns, laser engravers, HD cameras, a digital studio, 3D printers, a stained glass station, soldering irons, glass cutters, wet grinders, table saws, bandsaws, miter saws, planers, lathes, a drill press, hand tools, and a lot more.

They have a woodshop, a stained glass space, a tech space, a media space, a laser space, a fiber arts space, and a creative arts space. There’s always someone around to help out or give advice. “We try to keep it to where we have an expert in each area,” Wittekind said they like to have people with professional backgrounds.

Holly Hamrick is an assistant at the Washington County BB2C Makersspace. “It’s kind of a hidden gem.” She explained that they are involved in summer camps right now. For those summer camps, they have a long yellow derby track and 3D printed wheels for miniature derby cars.

This particular makerspace was started just a few years ago, but they relocated to their current spot in Harmar in 2019. It was open for just a few months before being shut down to the public for the pandemic. They didn't shut down entirely though. Wittekind and his people quickly pivoted to making PPE. They focused on face shields, ear savers, cloth masks, desk, and office barriers. Wittekind estimated that his makerspace produced roughly 3,000 pieces of PPE. But they worked with a couple of other makerspaces to collectively produce about 10,000 pieces of PPE.

But they’re back open now and looking for folks who want to be creative with them. They have a number of members. Memberships start at $20 a month as long as you commit to at least 3 months.

Anthony Perry is one of those members. His latest project is a coffin-shaped bookcase, this isn’t his first. He said he comes to the makerspace for the woodshop to make and sell furniture. “I build tables, cabinets, and things like that. It’s a good side business while I go to school for my math teaching degree.”

The BB2C Makerspace also makes trinkets and wood puzzles to be sold in local gift shops, Campus Martius for example. “We offer a lot of support to small businesses and schools to generate things they can sell at a pretty low cost.” He said when businesses reach out to them they work with them to try and figure out how to create a marketable item that suits their needs.

They offer classes to non-members though. Wittekind recommends these for folks who might be newer. “We want people to be comfortable while they’re learning.” Most classes are for those 14 and up, but they dropped the age on the sewing class to 9 assuming the parent is with them.
For those who are more advanced at woodworking or sewing, they offer memberships.

Wittekind asks folks to come in and try them out, he says they truly have something for everyone. “There’s enough things to do here that if you try something out and don’t like it, or lose interest in it, you can just try something else.” One of the major features of the makerspace is the unfettered access. Members don’t have to pay for the resources they have, like their tool collection. “So rather than accumulating this large collection of hobbies and tools, just go where it all already exists and you have access to.”

Hamrick said they’re always looking to grow and evolve. Wittekind said people will approach them asking if they do certain things, and if they don’t the answer is, “Well not yet, but now that you’ve given us the idea...”

Have a news tip or suggestion on how I can improve Marietta Patch? Maybe you're interested in having your business become one of our latest sponsors? Email any and all inquiries to me at christopher.schmitt@patch.com