Baltimore makers are getting their own ‘department store’

Add Station North to your weekend shopping circuit.
For the next two months, the building at 16 W. North Ave. will be home to a store for goods from city makerspaces and small manufacturers. There will be space for clothing, furniture, 3D-printed goods and even compost.
“It is kind of like a department store in that we have a little bit of a lot of different kinds of things,” said Sarah Templin, who is an organizer of the space. She will be woven into the fabric of the space by selling custom fabrics and textiles through her fabric outfit, Radica Textiles.
Elsewhere, Baltimore maker Todd Blatt (the guy behind this sculpture of Han Solo and other cool projects) will have a 3D printer on hand, and he’ll be selling 3D-printed earrings and metal necklaces.
So far, about 70 businesses have signed up, said organizer Andy Cook.
The store opens for the first time on Saturday, Aug. 8 with a launch party from 7-10 p.m.
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Going forward, it will be open through Aug. 27 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from noon-8 p.m. Throughout the time the pop-up shop is open, the organizers are planning to have events for education and networking.

We want a diverse ecosystem of small manufacturers in Baltimore.

The pop-up is the first project of the Industrial Arts Collective, an alliance of makerspaces and small manufacturers who came together to advocate for small manufacturing as a path for economic development in the city.
The pop-up comes amid a groundswell of energy around makerspaces in Baltimore.
Along with existing spots like Baltimore Node moving to a new location and the Baltimore Jewelry Center’s (which will have a presence at the pop-up) move into the Centre Theatre, Station North is set to see the massive new Open Works makerspace at 1400 Greenmount this fall. (Open Works coordinator Will Holman is a member of the Industrial Arts Collective.) Cook also took a group on a tour of former manufacturing buildings in Southwest Baltimore that the group envisions becoming a makerspace in the future.
Even the big boys are getting involved, with Kevin Plank’s Sagamore Ventures planning to open a makerspace in City Garage. The project is meant to emphasize Baltimore’s (and Under Armour’s) roots in light manufacturing and innovation.
Cook, who works by day in the city’s planning department, said that along with making cool stuff that’s from Baltimore, the maker movement represents a path to sustainable jobs.
“We don’t want one giant steel company employing everyone,” Cook said. “We want a diverse ecosystem of small manufacturers in Baltimore.”