Roswell Firelabs Community Makerspace To Open In Old Fire Station

ROSWELL, GA -- The first community maker space is opening in Roswell on May 4 named Roswell Firelabs.

The group boasts itself as, "a community of makers, teachers, crafters, creators and lifelong learners in the Roswell, GA area, hosting a community maker space in an old City of Roswell Fire Station on Holcomb Bridge Road. "

The new maker space will host 4,200 square feet of workshop and classroom space ideal for screen printing, wood & metal shop, 3D printing, sewing, cosplay and electronics.

The grand opening will be at noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 4, and will include raffles and maker demonstrations. Parking is limited, so Carl Black has offered to provide shuttle service for this event. To utilize our shuttle, park at the Connexions Plaza (across Holcomb Bridge Roads from the maker space) and follow the shuttle signs.

Communications Director Jessica Mathis said there are people looking to be involved in maker communities with shared access to tools and a shared knowledge base.

"Some residents of Roswell saw a growing demand for this type of space, and in 2017 began organizing support and growing a partnership with the city of Roswell," Mathis said. "MakerSpaces are popular in many places, and there are so many people in Roswell that are interested in building, designing and crafting. A community like this did not exist in our community until till now. We have received overwhelming support through participation with community build days, open houses, kids craft events and our outreach events."

A maker space is a collaborative, educational work space for making, learning, exploring and sharing, she said. These spaces provide a variety of maker equipment for adults and kids alike to build their passion projects, as well as critical 21st century skills in the fields of science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM).

"We hope to provide a place for the people of Roswell to come and be able to learn new skills and share ideas," Mathis said. "We hope to continue growing memberships and increasing the number of classes we offer. We hope to constantly add tools and machines for our members in the community. Increasing our community impact is key."

The company was permitted to operate within the former Fire Station No. 4 on Holcomb Bridge Road in September 2018. Since then, they have spent hundreds of hours renovating, repairing, building and working together.

"It is exciting because the different areas of the firehouse each have their own character which makes it interesting to build focused work spaces from the different rooms from the former firehouse," Mathis said. "We are excited to maintain a little bit of Roswell's history."

Click here to view the limited edition grand opening t-shirts, and RSVP at ROSWELL FIRELABS GRAND OPENING.