April 19, 2026THE MAKER LAB IS OFFICIALLY UNDERWAY
In early April, Project Threadways gathered local community leaders in the Shoals to celebrate the beginning of construction at The Maker Lab, a new organizational headquarters, artisan studio, and community space in downtown Florence. First step: a roof, just completed this week.
This work is the result of a year-long capital campaign, which met a Phase One fundraising goal of $2.8 million in 2025. We are deeply grateful to the public agencies, private foundations, and individual donors who make this future possible, and those partners and collaborators who champion Project Threadways’ mission.
This moment also marks the beginning of Phase Two of the campaign, which aims to raise $1.5 million to furnish and outfit the space. Funds raised in the months ahead will be directed toward:
- A fully equipped kitchen to service community events.
- ADA-accessible seating and tables.
- Lighting for workshops and hands-on educational activities.
- A showroom for sustainable, artisan-made pieces.
- Event and exhibition spaces for storytelling around craft and community.
The Maker Lab will open its doors this fall (more soon). Mark your calendar for the Opening Gala on March 20, 2027.
Please join us in this next chapter to expand access, deepen impact, and carry the work of artisan making forward for generations to come.
Manifesto Tenet #5:
The Maker Lab is our next chapter.
The Maker Lab is our next chapter.
A rural research and design studio in Florence, Alabama—bringing together artisans, technologists, farmers, educators, and makers of al kinds to co-create regenerative textiles, products, material culture, tools, and systems that serve both people and
planet.
planet.
IN THE PHOTOS
Top: Workers unload lumber to begin construction on the new Maker Lab.
Center: (clockwise from top left) a worker surveys the roof installation; Florence Mayor Ron Tyler (left) and City Council President Kaytrina Simmons (right) speak at the Maker Lab groundbreaking ceremony; friends and supporters gather to celebrate the start of construction; an overhead view of the facade and roof; visitors view the remnants of an outdoor mural on the building’s side (left) and a worker poses for a photo (right); an interior view of the arched roof and trusses; a worker operates a scissor lift; Natalie Chanin raises a glass at the groundbreaking ceremony; preliminary building plans for various elevations.
Photography listed above by Abraham Rowe.
Bottom: the Maker Lab building before renovations, photo by Rinne Allen.
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