Factory Two looks forward to connecting more makers, innovators, and dreamers in Flint

FLINT, Michigan — Mike Wright has a unique vantage point of Factory Two, a community makerspace in Downtown Flint that started as an idea in 2013. Since then, it’s grown, changed locations, and been shaped by its own community it serves. In addition to being a founder alongside Jon Hardman and Joel Rash, Wright is a volunteer and a Board member of Factory Two. 

“Our goal at Factory Two was to make sure that the tools, equipment, activities, and classes were available to as broad a spectrum of the community as we could make it,” he says. “This is something I obviously care a lot about, and it’s been really incredible for me to see my early vision of what I hoped to accomplish be exceeded. To see it go beyond anything I originally hoped we’d be able to do when we started in 2014 is really incredible.”

After visiting a Detroit Maker Fair in 2011, Wright saw firsthand the creativity and community that a makerspace could bring to an area. He researched whether the Flint area had anything like what he witnessed. At that time, the closest makerspace was in Detroit or Ann Arbor, he recalls. 

“I thought it would be something nice to have locally,” he says. “I spent a couple of years trying to find some people who knew what I was talking about and might be willing to help that vision become a reality.”

In 2013, he made a pitch to the Local 432 Board to use some of their unused space on the second floor of the building. He got the green light and the next year put in a grant submission for the then-named Flint Steamworks to the Community Foundation. 

“For two years, we operated out of the second floor of Flint Local 432,” Wright says. “Two nights a week, we’d open the space up. We didn’t have very much equipment — a 3D printer, a laser cutter, and a sewing machine. We had people drop in interested in making things or learning. We helped people make band merch, buttons, and t-shirts.”

Then, in 2016, a Mott Foundation program officer contacted Factory Two to see if they would consider scaling up and expanding. Their current space, a century-old building located at 129 N. Grand Traverse, became the new home of Factory Two in 2018.  

For nearly the last decade, this downtown Flint hub has provided tools, equipment, and training to small business owners, entrepreneurs, students, artists, crafters, neighbors, retirees, and more. Workshops and resources include cutting-edge technology like 3D printers, laser cutting, wood and metal shops, jewelry-making, and more. Within the former car parts manufacturing building, the mission is to empower makers, innovators, and dreamers by providing the tools, skills, and community necessary to bring creative ideas to life. 

They also host free community days, such as the Fixed by Flint Community Repair Day. Residents bring in items that might be broken or need fixing to a team of volunteer carpenters and engineers to try their hand at bringing the item ‘back to life.’ 

“We have like an 80% success rate on items that we’re able to fix during that event,” says Jewel Brown, the program manager at Factory Two. “We’ve kind of built this culture of buying new things rather than how to repair or learn how to fix them. For people in the communities that we live in and take part in, that’s not always sustainable.”

The fix-it events started last summer, and Brown says the community response has been positive. 

“We run these roughly every quarter. We’re excited the momentum has kept going and that they continue to be popular — and that we continue to get to serve our community this way,” Brown says. 

“It’s good programming because it brings people from the outside who might not normally get into Factory Two, and see that there is something going on that could be of interest to them, ” says Gary Mueller, operations manager. 

Folks can become members for $45/month with autopay, $50/month, or purchase an annual membership for $480. There are also sponsorship opportunities for anyone struggling to cover the cost. Volunteering options are also available for anyone willing to commit 8 hours a month for a free membership and class discounts. 

Wright considers Factory Two to operate sort of like a gym — you can get a membership, access to the tools and equipment, take classes, and book/reserve tools and resources for your own use. 

Today, Factory Two hosts sewing classes, textile screen printing, blacksmithing, laser cutting, woodshop, stained glass, 3D printing and design, and other events (some at no cost) for kids and adults alike. Holiday open houses also draw 150-200 people who can explore the space and take home their own projects. There’s also a Making Saturdays Awesome program, coming up during Spring Break, for 8-16-year-old students to complete STEAM projects. 

It’s been rewarding for Wright to witness Factory Two’s growth. He credits it back to the community itself. When it first began, he didn’t entirely envision all the possibilities and potential of the building’s space. They quickly discovered there was a real need for other types of community events, outside the traditional makerspace. 

“Part of the inspiration to do this in Flint goes back to the manufacturing roots — it’s kind of in our DNA to make in this city,” he says. “It’s been great to get some older retirees that used to work in the auto industry come here to share some of their knowledge in our makerspace. They’ve benefitted from those interactions, too. It’s been a win-win for everybody.”

In addition to being a hub for entrepreneurship, Factory Two also hosts other creative activities within the ecosystem. They recently expanded to include more art opportunities, the Flint Cultural Center Academy, and the Flint Local 432. 

Brown hopes to see more visibility and more daily usage of the space.

“Right now, we average between 10-20 people in our space in a day. I want more people here and knowing that this is available to them,” she says. 

Wright hopes Factory Two’s membership continues to grow, fostering greater ownership across different areas and responding to the needs of the user base. 

“We hope we are able to support all of the other community members and organizations that are working to improve the quality of life in the city of Flint,” he says. “We want to be a part of that. We live here, and this is our home. We are one of the elements that really adds to the unique nature of Downtown Flint.”

To learn more about Factory Two, you can visit their website and Facebook.