The building and land that house the Juneau Makerspace on Douglas Island are for sale — but the community workspace isn’t closing its doors.
Sam Bornstein is one of the nonprofitʼs founders and formerly served as president. Heʼs now the interim treasurer.
“The landlords are looking to sell the property, which includes the building. Our current hope is that if someone does purchase that property, that they’ll allow us to stay in our current location,” he said. “But we are also looking to see if there is any other places in Juneau that could work for us.”
The Juneau Makerspace had its grand opening in 2016. It’s a membership-based community center and workspace on North Douglas where hobbyists of all types can practice their craft in community. It’s home to a woodshop, ceramics studio, printmaking studio and a kitchen. It offers spaces for other creative and practical pursuits too.
Bornstein said the organization was notified the space was going up for sale several months ago. This isn’t the first time the Makerspace has had to move — it moved to its current location on Douglas in 2018 after outgrowing its original space in Lemon Creek.
“We started out in a one-room garage unit, and now we’re in this building that used to be a church,” he said. “But it’s a very adaptable type of space, so we’re looking and would love the community to help us find what could be our next home if the worst does happen in our current location.”
Bornstein said the organization will likely begin a fundraising campaign in the coming months to help pay for a potential move. He said the goal is to keep the community makerspace open for years to come.
“We’re so grateful for the support that you know has given us over the years that’s allowed this to go from just an idea of a few crazy people meeting one day in the library meeting room to a staple of Juneau,” he said.
He encouraged anyone in the community who might know of a building that could house the Makerspace to contact the organization.
