Crowdsourcing On A Consumer Level
ADX Brings Together Designers, Entrepreneurs, Students, Retirees (Just About Anybody) For Collaboration & Idea Sharing Among A Community
Imagine a place where people can have access to tools, space, and a community of makers. A space where people can create canoes, build-out RVs, exchange ideas with other makers, or start a business without a huge upfront cost. Now let your imagination become reality because this place exists in Portland, Oregon.
The idea for ADX originally came from a mix of ideas. Kelley Roy, the founder of ADX, ran a shop called Art Department, which was a little space where she helped her friend store, display and create art. Kelley rented out this space for storage, then started to offer art classes and events out of the front. As Kelley got to know more creators and artists, she realized how many of them were having a hard time finding space and afford the tools that they needed to create. She came across an article in the New York Times about a place where photographers shared equipment with each other. That space turned into a wood shop and, eventually, a metal shop. “I was really intrigued by this idea of mashing a bunch of different types of people together under one roof, and helping them get access to things that they need to start and grow their business, or just mess around and figure out what it is they want to do with their craft or their skills,” says Kelley.
Thus, ADX was born. “This is exactly what Portland needs,” says Kelley, “a space where people can have access to tools, but also access to a community at an affordable rate.” ADX’s main goal is nurture a community where people can thrive in their creativity. A space where they're supported with a knowledge base, people who can help them with their projects and learn new skills, or just support them as they struggle through, test and refine whatever it is they're working on. ADX is a pay-for-access business model. For a fee, members gain access to the space, tools, and experts. ADX features wood shop, metal shop, print shop and jewelry shop, plus workshop classes and one-on-one instruction for members. It also has fabrication production business in-house that produces products for other businesses. This allows ADX to keep membership and classes affordable.
ADX’s membership ranges from 170-200 people in each month. “The age range is pretty dramatic,” says Matt Preston, communications director at ADX, “we have people as young as 16 that have come in and use the shop with their parents, all the way up to people in their 70s who are using it.” Another interesting thing about ADX’s demographics is that “A little over 30% of members are women, and our staff is actually over 50%,” says Matt. More women are seeking to learn woodworking and welding and ADX is filling that need in Portland.Kelley’s business and marketing background keeps ADX growing and running smoothly. “I'm not a maker myself,” says Kelley, “I help people figure out how to make a living with their business.” However, that doesn’t make Kelley any less creative. “A lot of my creativity comes in the form of, how to make a business out of these things,” she explains, “how to make a living, how to really make this work, and your life work, the way you want it to.” Through ADX, Kelley found a way to create a life that is very fulfilling. She says, “I get to offer up this space for a lot of different types of people and see a lot of different products being made. I get to help people along their path to get a business going, how to make it work, how to keep it thriving.”
Kelley hopes to help grow community spaces all over the country. “I feel pretty good about where ADX is now,” she says. “I am helping other cities around the country and around the world look at how to open these spaces in their communities and fully express what their community needs and wants and how an inviting hub can best serve the people there.” As seen with Portland, the culture of making has brought back manufacturing to the city. It can have the power to restore middle-wage jobs and teach the next generation skills that, in lieu of high tech jobs, could be lost.Debbie Wolfe
A graduate of Northland College with degrees in Creative Writing and Earth Sciences, Debbie has written for HGTV, DIYNetwork, Sheknows and more. She enjoys gardening, reading and fostering dogs.
Make Sure To Check Out:
ADX, which is a hub for collaboration where individuals and organizations make and learn. By sharing tools, knowledge, and experience, ADX helps others do things better by working together.