Open House Recap/ADX Q&A

March 30, 2011

On Wednesday, March 23, we opened our doors to the local community for a special sneak peek at ADX during construction. With each day we move closer to completing our space and are eager to officially open our doors this June.

We had some amazing feedback from all our guests (over 250 of you attended!), and received really helpful information from both our conversations and from our recap survey.

Read on to learn more about our progress and read our responses to some common questions we received at the Open House.

“When will you open, and what are your hours of operation?”
While we’re currently accepting members for May access (payments on all memberships don’t begin until July 1) our official opening date is Friday, June 3. We’ll be kicking off the space with a special exhibit and party here, with work hours beginning the following Monday, June 6. Our hours of operation are 7am-11pm, 7 days a week.

“Do you guys offer hourly or daily rates for your shop spaces?”
Yes! Daily/hourly rates are offered to anyone holding a Basic Membership ($25/mo). While you can’t purchase daily/hourly access online, those interested will check in at reception with their membership card and pay for their time upon their departure. Prices vary depending upon access needs, but this is a very affordable option for those not interested in purchasing a monthly shop pass outright.

“Will you have a letter press or photo facilities?”
No…at least not yet. While ADX will grow and evolve with the needs of our members, we definitely don’t want to recreate the wheel. There are a number of well-equipped photography centers and printing facilities in town (and we’re hoping to arrange a shared discount with them to promote cross-collaboration and offer members of both sides a great benefit). We’d rather let the experts handle those elements, and focus on building out the shared shop elements of our facility. If there’s a need to revisit this idea in the future, we’re open to it!

“I didn’t see a laser cutter. Are you going to add that to the facility?”
We’re considering it! There have been a lot of people interested in using that equipment onsite, and we’re currently exploring different partnerships with local operators to see if it’s feasible for our location. Stay tuned for updates!

“Are the metal shop and wood shops complete?They looked sparse.”
Definitely not! We’re still in the process of acquiring a number of tools for each shop in the warehouse. We expect to have them all here and operating by mid-May. For a complete list of our tool offerings, please visit our Wood Shop and Metal Shop pages on our website.

“Do you offer trades/free access in exchange for teaching, shop maintenance, etc?”
We’ll be offering a number of “Working Memberships” to skilled shop techs in exchange for their assistance maintaining tools, keeping the shop spaces organized, and overseeing members’ use and safety. Working Members will work a set amount of hours in either the wood or metal shop in exchange for full or partial access to the ADX facility. This option is a great way for someone to share their skills and be a part of a collaborative space without needing to pay membership fees. Each Working Member will follow the Shop Tech’s guidelines in maintaining and operating tools, while also making sure members are safely operating our equipment. This role will help keep shop spaces neat and organized, and offer guidance to members who need assistance. While each Working Member will keep specific hours in the shop (approximately 15–20 hours/wk), he or she will also have full access to ADX during all other business hours.
Teaching classes and workshops at ADX can also accrue shop credit in exchange for sharing their expertise. We’d love our instructors to be active members of the ADX community!
For information on working memberships or becoming an instructor, please email info@adxportland.com.

Thanks again for your interest in ADX! We look forward to seeing you at our Grand Opening on June 3. In the meantime, join our newsletter to learn more about upcoming events and ADX news.