The Works Seattle

This is from our Kickstarter video. I wanted to share it here too.

The Maker Bar didn’t come from a business plan. It came from a hospital room, a lot of quiet, and finally having the space to see what we’d been building toward all along.

She’s doing great. And we’re building the space.

The full story is here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1550843362/the-works-is-moving-to-west-seattle

West Seattle has everything. Except this...

A place where you can drop in, make something, and leave with it. For adults. For families. For people who just need an hour of making something with their hands.

That’s what we’re building. Alaska Junction, California Ave SW. Coming soon.

Link in bio. 🧡

I’ve been a little nervous to say this out loud.

Kickstarter is all or nothing. If we hit $50,000, it funds. Everyone gets their rewards, we build the space, we open.

If we don’t — no one gets charged. No one gets their rewards. The campaign just… ends. And we figure out another way.

I’ve been doing this for eight years. And as one of my good friends Frances recently commented, ‘your resilience!!’ I’ve never felt more seen. I built this business with infant twins. We survived the Covid pandemic, a stroke, my daughter’s bone marrow transplant, a lease that almost didn’t happen... multiple times. I’m not scared of hard things.

But this one is public. And it has a deadline. And the number is specific. And every day I wake up and look at that percentage and feel all of it.

So here’s me asking directly: if you’ve been waiting to back us, please don’t wait too long. And if you already have - please share it today. One share from you reaches people I will never reach on my own.

We have until June 26th. We’re 20% there. Let’s go.

Link in bio. 🧡

Five days in!! Here’s what’s happened since Wednesday.

I designed a sign for the new shop this weekend, but it wouldn’t be ready till Monday. Then my daughter pointed out that Sunday is farmers market day and we shouldn’t miss those eyeballs. So my husband and I printed and taped together a homemade sign, rode bikes up to the new space, and hung it in the window with a QR code. Very scrappy. Very us. 😂

And on Sunday, wouldn’t you believe it, people started backing the campaign with no reward selected. Just… supporting us. Nothing in return.

That one got me. (And also, thank you, Pepper!)

We’re 20% of the way to $50,000. Every share, every back, every “I told my friend about you” - it’s adding up.

The link is in our bio. 🧡

DIY a banner for the new shop with me!

(And Smokey’s friends don’t play with matches 🐻)

Our Kickstarter launches Thursday, May 28. Here’s your first look at what’s inside. 👀

$15: A sticker pack of our hand-drawn Seattle icons - ferries, Sasquatch, coffee, scissors, and more
$65: Paint the mural with us! A behind-the-scenes evening with Kellie, snacks, drinks, and a gift bag
$100: A 3-pack of our best-selling DIY kits: sardine magnets, cyanotype socks, and block printing
$250: Pre-opening party for two, inside the new space before anyone else gets in
$750: The Golden Ticket: six months of unlimited Maker Bar access from day one

This campaign is how we build the space together. Every pledge gets us closer to opening the doors and gets you something we’d genuinely want ourselves.

The link goes live Thursday. We can’t wait to share this with you!

We got the keys!! And for the first time in eight years, we get to build something designed from the start to be The Works. A proper Maker Bar. A real classroom. An art sink. An ADA bathroom. Retail that makes sense.
 
That’s what the Kickstarter builds. It goes live May 27, one week from today.
 
Visit the link in our bio if you still want to get on the launch party invite list. 💛