i3 Detroit moves to bigger space in Ferndale

i3 Detroit, Metro Detroit's cooperative communal space for people who make and invent things, recently got much bigger when it moved to a larger home in Ferndale.

The non-profit had been in a 1,500-square-foot space in downtown Royal Oak before taking up an 8,000-square-foot residence in Ferndale, not far from Paper Street Motors. The new home is an old tool-and-dye shop with more room to grow.

"Having much more space has allowed us to have more tools," says Russ Wolfe, president of i3 Detroit. "We now have a dedicated craft room and a chemistry room."

i3 is a national non-profit that got its start in New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. It encompasses a wide range of interests and professions, such as machinists, programmers, artists and electrical engineers. It also hosts public classes and workshops on woodworking, Linux, amateur radio, telecom architecture, computer programming and automobile repair.

The Detroit chapter is geared toward makers, inventors and entrepreneurs. It offers space for heavy tools, electronics and a studio/lounge. It's comparable to Detroit's Russell Industrial Center, but members don't have individual work areas. Today it has 36 members, up from 13 last year, plus many people who take advantage of the classes and lectures held there.

Source: Russ Wolfe, president of i3 Detroit
Writer: Jon Zemke

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i3 Detroit moves to bigger space in Ferndale

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