[pbhjpbhj]

>consider starting a maker space. //

I've thought of this many times - mainly cause I'm too poor to buy all the tools I want and even the tools I have I wish it were easier to lend them so they don't die of rust before their otherwise useful hours have been used up ...

But, I've always thought that this would need to be a government supported social enterprise, never that it could make enough money to pay for rent+wage(s) and equipment, upkeep, insurance, etc..

Anyone actually done this and willing to share some figures (privately if needs be)?

Thanks.

[chatmasta]

Our college has a "maker space" and it's been a tremendous success, to the point that engineering "recruits" cite it as a reason for choosing the school. Obviously this was school-funded, but my point is that the administration saw a direct value add from it, and continues to pour funding into the program. You may be able to pull data about municipal maker spaces in other cities, and use it to convince your own city to fund a project to build one.

[joshdance]

What school was that?

[chatmasta]

Yale. So take the funding issue with a grain of salt..

[mattmanser]

We have a hackspace here that I've (shamefully) never actually gone to.

You could try contacting them and ask how they did it:

http://nottinghack.org.uk/