Picture this: An engineer, an artist, and a marketing director walk into the same building to work, and it’s totally normal—no one is out of place. That’s because they’re at the Innovation Center at Saratoga, which is coming soon to 16 Old Stonebreak Road in Malta.
Designed as a makerspace for everyone, the Innovation Center will provide an array of equipment, technology, and tools that residents of Saratoga County and beyond can use to enhance their work.
“For a long time, we were calling it an ‘artist incubator,’” says Beth Moeller, owner of the Saratoga-based Interactive Media Consulting, LLC., and the center’s founder. “But then, we dropped the ‘artist.’ We want to be a place where a fisherman or an electrical engineer can 3D print equipment, or an Etsy artist can print stickers, or a business owner can photograph their products professionally.”
The idea for a collaborative space first struck Moeller during a trip to Clarkson University, her alma mater. She learned that the college was opening an “innovation hub” for students, and realized there was nothing like that in Saratoga County. After bouncing the idea off her husband, friends, and colleagues, she formed a 501(c)(3) with just three people, began to build a board of directors, and started searching for a space. However, this was in 2019.
“My favorite piece of advice?” Moeller says: “Don’t launch a nonprofit organization four months before a global pandemic.”
The road forward was rocky. A deal on a potential building fell through, and Moeller couldn’t bring herself to push for donations when so many other organizations playing key roles in navigating the pandemic needed them. But when things began to return to normal (or at least a new normal), Mueller and her Innovation Center were met with a stroke of good fortune. Mueller’s colleague, the owner of a nearly 11,000-square-foot building in Malta, informed her that their previous tenant would not be renewing their lease, and just so happened to be leaving behind more than $100,000 in furniture and equipment, including seven laser printers, a conference table and chairs, desks, cubicles, and a high-end security system. In other words, the stuff makerspace dreams are made of.
Moeller signed on the building in August 2024, and thanks in part to a $500,000 donation from a remarkably generous anonymous donor, the Innovation Center at Saratoga was back on track.
In just a few short months, the space has begun to take shape, and soon, doors will be open to the public. What will the Innovation Center offer, you ask? A wide variety of high-end equipment, technology, and tools, including a 3D printer, large format printer, Cricut, vinyl cutter, CNC machine, laser cutter, looms, and industrial (and regular) sewing machines, as well as areas dedicated to woodworking, electronics, computer programs, and photography.
Rentable spaces will also be available, such as a flex room (perfect for large meetings), conference room, smaller classrooms, lockable offices, and semi-private “creative pods.” In addition, there will be plenty of couches, tables, and chairs scattered throughout (hi, remote workers!) and a break room with refrigerators.
Classes will be offered regularly; some will provide a general introduction to specific tools or pieces of equipment, while others will be tailored to meet the needs of different members of the community (think: circuit-building for electrical engineers or photography for business websites). And for young members of the community, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) summer camps will be offered, including a roller coaster camp backed by Clarkson University, which teaches kids how to design and build a coaster and concludes with a day at the Great Escape.
One of the center’s trademark offerings will be its business development program. This will involve six classes for emerging entrepreneurs and business owners; if you attend all six, at the end of the course you’ll be paired with a mentor who will continue to work one-on-one with you to grow your business. Another version of the program will also be offered to artists, who don’t typically see themselves as “businesspeople.”
“When I’ve spoken to artists about branding, I noticed they tend to feel uncomfortable using such ‘corporate’ language,” says Moeller. “Our class would speak their language. So we would ask instead, for example, ‘How do you want people to feel when they look at your work?’ It’s the same result, just from a more relatable direction.”
Anyone can attend classes, but Innovation Center members will receive a discounted rate. The current membership structure includes an all-access membership, which grants you access to the building whenever it’s open, and a nights and weekend membership for artists and entrepreneurs who have day jobs. Individual day passes will also be available.
In the coming weeks, the Innovation Center will start offering “Sneak Peek Saturdays,” which will give community members the chance to explore the space and see what it has to offer. A full opening is planned for the summer. Stay tuned to their website and social media for sneak peek dates, updates, and information on how to get involved or donate. And if you want to teach a class, have an idea for a class, or have a certain tool in mind that you’d love to see at the Center—reach out. It is a collaborative space, after all.
After hearing about the incredible breadth of the Innovation Center’s offerings, some people have told Moeller she’s trying to do too much. “I say we’re doing enough,” she says. “And we could do even more.”