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• February 26, 2019

When Al Holloway set out to find a makerspace in Kalamazoo, he discovered there wasn’t one—so he created the Makers’ Guild. Holloway, who serves as the Air Zoo’s technical resources manager, is among the founders of the nonprofit Kzoo Makers. Theresa Coty O’Neil, Project Editor for Southwest Michigan’s Second Wave “On the Ground Kalamazoo” series, covered the makerspace as part of her reporting on the Eastside Neighborhood.

Kzoo Makers operates out of a former warehouse on East Michigan Avenue. According to Holloway, the group needed substantial electrical capacity and enough open floor area to support a full woodworking shop, metal shop, welding equipment, laser engravers, 3-D printers, an electronics lab, and additional tools.

Despite the extensive equipment, Holloway emphasizes that the people using the space are what make it function effectively. Members share knowledge, assist with one another’s projects, and learn new skills from fellow makers.