Downtown Lexington, VA, is home to an ambitious business incubator and makerspace that’s drawing interest from entrepreneurs in surrounding areas.
Lexington Collaboratory & Makerspace is a 1,300-square-foot lab that lets startups tinker with their products. The Collaboratory also provides a team of mentors to dispense advice about legal matters, marketing, real estate, finance, and professional development.
The Lexington Collaboratory & Makerspace runs as a nonprofit operating under Main Street Lexington. The lab sells $35-a-month memberships that offer unlimited access to the equipment.
The makerspace is part of Main Street Lexington’s focus on an economic development strategy of “small-scale artisanal manufacturing.” The goal is to give would-be inventors and artisans support to build their businesses, and to make “Lexington-Made” a regional brand for locally produced wares.
Next up for the makerspace is a $5,000 microloan fund to help startups finance their ventures.
More on bringing a makerspace downtown appears in the January issue of Downtown Idea Exchange. Click to learn more about Downtown Idea Exchange and other resources for revitalizing downtowns and commercial corridors.