'Old shop meets new shop’ at Loess Hills Maker Space

If you’re curious about what’s going on inside the Loess Hills Maker Space shop on the south side of Glenwood’s Town Square, just picture your junior high shop classroom equipped with 21st Century tools and technology.

“Our motto is, ‘Where old shop meets new shop’” Loess Hills Maker Space founder and co-owner Rich Dickeson said.

The facility, located at 411 Sharp St., in a 19th-century building that has formerly housed a post office, hardware store, clothing store and a boot and saddle shop, is a place for community members to come to design and build projects, sharpen a technical skill or learn about a special craft.

Loess Hills Maker Space markets itself as a “community work space for creative ideas,” featuring wood working, metal working, fabrication, stained glass, pottery, painting, candle making, weaving, arts and crafts. The shop is open weekdays from 1-5 p.m. and Saturdays from noon-5 p.m.

“The maker space is free to the public,” Dickeson said. “We do have a suggested donation of $15/month to cover utilities and shop supplies. But it is not mandatory. There’s no club or membership dues.”

Loess Hills Maker Space opened in April, but Dickeson concedes it’s been tough getting the word out about the facility.

“Once people understand what a maker space is, they love it,” he said. “But it has been slow getting the word and concept out to the community and region.

“Most people think we are here to build things for them. But our purpose is to help people learn and build themselves, to develop skills, make friends and experiment with new technologies. Also, because we started with wood working machines, people think that is all we are.”

Dickeson said the facility is open to all ages. Youth groups, like scouts and home schoolers, are encouraged to schedule a visit. As interest in the facility grows, classes and special training sessions are on the horizon for Loess Hills Maker Space. Visitors to the facility will also be able to view instructional videos on a variety of topics.

“This is an ongoing effort,” Dickeson said. “Currently we train customers to use the woodworking tools safely and correctly. But we also want to have classes on wood carving, painting, stain glass and quilting. One of our goals is to have a large screen monitor in our lobby to view YouTube and other instructional videos.”

A variety of projects have already been created at the maker space, including a book shelve, picture frames and lighting fixtures.
Several pieces of equipment are available for use in the facility, including saws, sanders, lathes, a drill press, planer, jointer and weaving loom.

Dickeson’s wife and co-owner of Loess Hills Maker Space, said many of the tools serve dual purposes.

“He’s a model railroader and I’m a sewer. It’s amazing how many of the tools we can share,” she said.

 Loess Hills Maker Space is a non-profit endeavor for the Dickesons. Alllen Scott and Jim Budd help them oversee operations. Donations (including lumber) are always accepted and grants are being pursued.
The community-shared maker space idea may be relatively new to Mills County, but worldwide the concept has “exploded” according to an article in Popular Science magazine. Maker spaces can provide resources in a wide range of areas, ranging from wood working and lasers to computer technology and 3-D printing. Rich Dickeson noted the popular movie Big Hero 6 was based on a maker space where young people brought their dreams and ideas to life.

Dickeson said he expects the popularity of maker spaces to continue to grow in the years to come.

“This is about the future,” Dickeson said.

Dickeson encourages anyone wanting to learn more about the Loess Hills Maker Space to come by the shop in person or visit the facility’s page on Facebook.