North Forge’s FabLab adds storefront presence

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This article was published 16/11/2023 (747 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

North Forge’s downtown fabrication lab — called the FabLab — now has a storefront presence, taking its rightful place as part of the downtown revitalization.

After 12 years and thousands of prototypes later, the FabLab is stretching its creative muscles into packaging and production print design.

After being relatively “hidden” — it does hold weekly open houses on Tuesday evenings — on the third floor of a heritage building at the corner of Adelaide Street and William Avenue, North Forge Technology Exchange has now leased the 2,500-square-foot main floor street level storefront previously occupied by Arts Junction.

The new space features a $100,000 Roland VG3-540 True VIS Printer/Cutter, perfect for creating the kind of packaging and marketing material that can complete the lifecycle for the new products that are being conceived and produced on the third floor space.

With the help of all sort of sponsors and funders from the provincial and federal government, to in-kind assistance from the like of Princess Auto and Bockstael Construction, the original third floor space is now stacked with $4 million of equipment.

It only take a monthly membership fee of $150 to access all that technology.

The new storefront space in the same building, called Makers Market, also includes a vinyl cutter, industrial sewing machine, heat press and co-working space as well as a retail boutique filled exclusively with product made in house.

Like much of the FabLab’s operations, the Makers Market will be staffed by volunteers.

Joelle Foster, CEO of North Forge, said, “We put a lot of work and money into the space. We listened to our members and to the public. Many people didn’t know that we were here. Now we have a storefront and street presence and a beautiful design studio.”

North Forge is in the business of providing all sorts of support to help businesses start up and scale, with its main offices in Smartpark at the University of Manitoba Fort Garry campus and satellite operations in Thompson and Pinawa.

The FabLab has hosted more than 3,000 entrepreneurs over the years and now hopes to attract even more with a full suite of printing and design equipment.

Avery-Anne Gervais has grown her Maker Mind Toys business entirely from the FabLab where she makes heritage style children’s building blocks, many of them custom designed.

The FabLab’s design studio expansion was almost custom built for her.

“I’m ecstatic,” she said.

Gervais does well selling direct to consumer online, but backed out of retail a while ago.

“Customers needed to open the box to see the product and retailers don’t like that,” she said. “With this new Rolland machine I’m able to take my product from a plain box with a stamped logo to a box with four-sided labelling that can sell much better on a shelf. I’m now considering going back into retail.”

Gervais does all her production at the FabLab and can now feature more professional packaging all done within the friendly confines of the FabLab.

Kerry Stevenson, one of the original founders of the FabLab — and one of the first experts in 3D printing — said it’s always been something the organization’s wanted to do.

“When a few of us got together and made the lab 12 years ago, the purpose of it was to help people get over the financial barrier of starting to make a physical product for sale,” he said. “This completes the sequence of the original wild idea that you’re not even sure will work, all the way to it being sold.”

The FabLab is open every Tuesday at 6 p.m. for public tours, while the Makers Market will be open Tuesday to Friday, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca