Dec. 16—Holiday shoppers looking for handcrafted, locally made gifts could find plenty of options Thursday evening during the Winter Open House at TinkerMill, Longmont's massive makerspace.

The makerspace's gallery housed 10 booths where vendors displayed and sold their creations, which ranged from ceramic bowls to wooden chess boards to metal jewelry. Though not a requirement to get a spot at the market, all of Thursday's vendors double as TinkerMill members.

"I love the idea of being able to provide a venue for our makers," said TinkerMill member and Board Vice President Kelly Shaw. "I think an opportunity to showcase and sell in their own home is a pretty special thing."

The makerspace operates on a membership model, offering unrestricted access to the space's tools and technology at a monthly rate. TinkerMill held a Winter Open House in 2021, but Shaw said the turnout wasn't as satisfying as this year's.

"Now that we're out of the pandemic, there's a lot more of a collaborative feel," she said. It's a good community here. People are helping each other."

A couple of dozen visitors checked out the booths between 4:30 and 6 p.m. The event lasted until 8 p.m.

Thursday was member Jacob Kelsey's first opportunity to showcase his 3D-printed light displays, which were made exclusively with the makerspace's resources.

"This is the first time I've ever shown and attempted to sell them," he said. "It's like a practice for what I intend to do in the spring, which is to show them at farmers' markets."

Kelsey said he was encouraged to participate in the market by TinkerMill Executive Director Erin Hoard, who had noticed that he was ready to share his creations with an audience.

"TinkerMill is an incubator, and that's what's beautiful about it," Kelsey said. "Potential entrepreneurs can explore their prototypes and meet other makers here."

In addition to browsing the market, open house guests also had the opportunity to take a guided tour of the makerspace and get an up-close view of the shops, including one of the facility's newest additions: a 4,000-watt laser cutter that is set to be available for members beginning in April.

"(The cutter) is incredibly unique ... more toward the commercial, industrial end of the spectrum," said Tim Marsho, welding shop captain.

TinkerMill is regularly open for visitors, but the behind-the-scenes look at the facility offered by open houses is what new member CE Raum considers the "fun part."

"People ask questions and get excited, which leaves me just having a blast," said Raum, who demonstrated to guests his process of constructing stained-glass Christmas ornaments. "A makerspace is all about volunteering. You get out of it much more than you put in."

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