The maker movement is so dead in the US that it's been forgotten.
I had a TechShop membership for years, and a TheShop membership after that, right up to the bankruptcy. The gym business model doesn't fit. Gyms work because people only show up a few hours per week, max. A gym can have 10x to 30x its capacity in members. For a maker space, people show up more, and it's only 2x - 3x.
I went to the wake for maker spaces, a small meeting in Silicon Valley. Some guy from TechShop made excuses. The guy who bought Heathkit went on about their retro kits.
Then we all went home.
There are still some maker spaces, but they're mostly 3D printers, sewing machines, and paper-folding, not lathes and mills. They're much more kid-oriented, with kids doing prescribed projects.
I had a TechShop membership for years, and a TheShop membership after that, right up to the bankruptcy. The gym business model doesn't fit. Gyms work because people only show up a few hours per week, max. A gym can have 10x to 30x its capacity in members. For a maker space, people show up more, and it's only 2x - 3x.
I went to the wake for maker spaces, a small meeting in Silicon Valley. Some guy from TechShop made excuses. The guy who bought Heathkit went on about their retro kits. Then we all went home.
There are still some maker spaces, but they're mostly 3D printers, sewing machines, and paper-folding, not lathes and mills. They're much more kid-oriented, with kids doing prescribed projects.