MPLS MAKE Grand Opening

MPLS MAKE, a community workshop for Twin Cities-area woodworkers (and soon to include metalworkers), will host a grand opening party on Saturday, Nov. 4, to celebrate its recent expansion and relocation to 3757 3rd Ave. NE in Columbia Heights. The grand opening will offer free food, drink and music, as well as a 90-foot Pinewood Derby track, make-your-own racecars and a tournament-style race competition throughout the afternoon. MPLS MAKE is a work space for local woodworking enthusiasts, hobbyists and contractors who want to use their skills but may not have space of their own at home. Members pay monthly dues in exchange for unlimited, 24/7 access to a workshop fully stocked with professional-quality woodworking tools and machines. Owner Theo Knaeble, a 26-year-old Minneapolis resident and entrepreneur, had the idea for the shared shop space after starting a woodworking business with a friend. MPLS MAKE, which was previously located in Northeast Minneapolis, opened in 2015 with just five members in a 500-square-foot studio. Today, the workshop has over 40 members, with the capacity to grow to 80 members in the new 8,500-square-foot space, a former automotive facility. The new, workshop has been completely renovated, and is equipped with a state-of-the-art automated dust collection and ventilation system, as well as plenty of project storage space, a dedicated finishing room and an isolated sanding room. MPLS MAKE will also be expanding its welding and metal working tools in months to come. A full list of tools offered at the shop can be found at www.mplsmake.com/tools. The public is invited to join MPLS MAKE members celebrate the grand opening of the new space on Saturday, Nov. 4, at 2 p.m. MPLS MAKE is located at 3757 3rd Ave. NE in Columbia Heights. For more information about MPLS MAKE or to become a member, visit www.mplsmake.com.