After 5 years, NextFab is closing its Wilmington makerspace

After five years and a hard hit from the COVID-19 pandemic, makerspace NextFab’s Wilmington location is coming to an end, closing its doors on March 31.

What happens to the Creative District building and equipment — including state-of-the-art woodworking and printing equipment — will depend largely on the community. Ideally, Philadelphia-based NextFab’s Rebecca Ledbetter said, it will continue to serve Wilmington creatives in some way.

“We’re still exploring options,” Ledbetter, the org’s director of marketing, told Technical.ly. “We’re looking at some of our friends and our partners and the [local] government to see if there is any possibility of someone being able to utilize the building with the equipment, because we do really want that resource to stay in Wilmington.”

As for the Wilmington-based members, who have always had full access to the makerspace’s two locations in South Philly and North Philly, NextFab is supporting them through the closing.

“We regret the impact this closure will have on our Wilmington location customers, and are actively working to support them through our two Philadelphia locations,” NextFab’s founder and president, Dr. Evan Malone, assured the community in this week’s announcement.

NextFab Wilmington’s impact

NextFab Wilmington opened on June 15, 2017, two years after plans were first announced to open a Delaware location.

The move was made possible by grants from Wilmington Renaissance Corporation (which merged with Wilmington Leaders Alliance in 2019 to become the Wilmington Alliance) and the state-backed Delaware Strategic Fund. Wilmington University was a partner, purchasing memberships for its Maker Certificate students and holding classes there; Delaware College of Art and Design was, too, while the Wilmington Renaissance Corporation started a scholarship program to sponsor student makers.

The hub’s North Tatnall Street location reinforced the naming of the West Center City neighborhood The Creative District.

Entrepreneur Linda Watson using NextFab Wilmington printing equipment. (Courtesy photo)

You’ve likely seen some of the items made at NextFab Wilmington, whether you knew it or not.

One of the early projects was Wilmington Greenbox’s Market Street kiosk, where Jason Aviles and his team served cold pressed juices and fresh produce from a small courtyard just meters from what would later become Green Box Kitchen on the corner of Fourth and Market streets.

Nick Matarese, cofounder of Dew Point Brewing, designed and made the beer tap handles for serving Dew Point beer at local pubs.

Kpelle Designs founder Gwanyan “Gwen” Barker and her Liberian jewelry line drew attention from across the region, including coverage by ABC6 in Philly.

Gwanyan Barker, founder of Kpelle DesignsGwanyan Barker, founder of Kpelle Designs (Courtesy photo)

Newport-based sculptor Dennis Beach used NextFab’s shopbot and laser to create sculptures for Comcast’s Philly location.

NextFab Wilmington makers regularly participated in the monthly Wilmington Art Loop, as well as the community holiday market and events like the Makers Mixer, in partnership with Hagley Museum.

The woodshop at NextFab Wilmington. (Courtesy photo)

Then, the pandemic

COVID-19 lockdowns hit in 2020, and coupled with the economic conditions that followed, Malone had to make the difficult decision to let it go in order to continue the Philly location, per the org.

“We are able to keep our Philadelphia locations running [and] open to incoming new members,” Ledbetter said. “We’re very grateful for all the partnerships and being able to be in Wilmington for five years, and with partnerships like DCAD and Green Box, we were able to help out a lot of makers and entrepreneurs. We’re really grateful we were able to have a place there, and an opportunity to be a part of a lot of those stories. So we’re hoping we can continue that with NextFab and in Philadelphia.”

If your are interested in learning about possibilities for the building at 502 N. Tatnall St. or in its equipment, contact Malone through NextFab’s website.

We regret to announce the closing of our NextFab Wilmington location in the aftermath of the pandemic. We will be ceasing operations at our Wilmington location on March 31, 2023. Our two Philadelphia locations will remain open to all current and new members. pic.twitter.com/RRs5BufWBr

— NextFab (@NextFab_DE) February 6, 2023