SANDPOINT — After the founding owners of MakerPoint Studios decided it was time to close the doors recently, a group of members decided they were not going to let that happen. 

Alexandra Iosub, MakerPoint's education outreach coordinator, said she and some of the other members quickly pulled together, purchased MakerPoint and created a nonprofit co-op. The local makerspace was started in 2014 by Matt Williams and Mike Peck after Coldwater Creek went under.

"Their goal was to create community," Iosub said. "... From that perspective, MakerPoint was completely successful, because that's what it did — it created this really loving community of makers."

When Williams and Peck created MakerPoint, they didn't just create community in Sandpoint. The makerspace has become a part of the community as well.

"You go around town and you see MakerPoint everywhere," Iosub said. "A lot of members, once the shop opened, started making things here and selling them at the market. Members actually build small businesses from here, so it's been such an important part of the community here in Sandpoint, it was too loved to go."

MakerPoint Studios is a membership-based makerspace with the latest fabrication and build technologies. Membership is open to the public and businesses at varying levels of access.

MakerPoint houses several pieces of equipment for use, including professional woodshop and metal fabrication tools, electronics fabrication, silk screen printing, an industrial sewing machine, advanced tools such as a CNC plasma table, laser engravers and much more.

"People come here and they make stuff — That's our motto," Iosub said as she pointed to where the motto was apparent in large letters plastered across the woodshop wall, "#MakeStuff."

Will Crook, one of the members who helped start the co-op, said that is what the place is all about, "making and doing stuff," referring to the shop as a "cool little gem with tools."

"That's the core of it, but real sustainability, and the reason why we are not-for-profit, is going to be partnering with area educators to provide career-technical education," Crook said.

For now, Iosub said, MakerPoint will remain static, but over time the group plans to incorporate more classes and education for children. Current classes offered include welding, laser cutting and engraving, screen printing, CNC router, CNC plasma cutting and woodworking.

Williams said he plans to continue to help out at the shop, and said he is looking forward to the future MakerPoint under the new co-op.

"Mike and I are excited to see what new ideas are brought and how MakerPoint is going to continue to grow," Williams said. "We have been extremely excited about that. And the group is existing members of the shop, so it makes it even that much better ... they have been able to be here and see how the shop is run."

An open house will be held from 1 p.m. Sunday and last until the "food and beer is gone." Along with food and beer, there will be live music, a raffle for a membership, members will be on-hand to show off things they've made. The public is invited to stop by and join the fun, while learning what MakerPoint has to offer. MakerPoint is located at 1424 North Boyer Ave., behind Panhandle Special Needs, Inc.

Regular hours at MakerPoint are 1-9 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Several types of memberships are available at a range of prices.

Information: makerpointstudios.com

Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.