We were lucky to catch up with Alison Osborn recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Alison thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

Daydreaming of a sweet creative workshop space was the easy part. My business partner, Mackenzie and I knew that we worked well together and would eventually come to realize HOW well we balanced each other’s skills and drive. We each had our individual art businesses but did not want to lean on production alone and were in search of community. “If we need it, others must need it too.” This was our mantra while cultivating and discovering our own dreams.

The truth is that there felt like no good timing to actually start. We had 4 kids under 5 between the two of us and while that may seem like a horrible time to start a business, it was the main reason we needed it. We leaned on our respective partners to pick up a lot of domestic and childcare duties while we carved out what little time we had to learn and absorb all we could about opening a brick + mortar. The combination of Trump ’16, the pandemic, and forest fires near our communities drove us to build the life we wanted NOW. Not later. Because there may not be a later.

We started a business plan and researched all the different avenues we could include as we knew this needed to be a multiple income stream business. After searching a few different locations, we became overwhelmed by everything we needed to know and have in order. We made the decision the put our business plan on the back burner until we were feeling more confident.

Then, 2 days later, Mackenzie called me and said “I think I found it.” My heart sank. We had just decided to wait and there had been a clarity in that. I drove over to where she was and there sat the cutest retail shop perfectly divided into 3 sections with a brand new FOR LEASE sign up. Just as we had pictured. I instantly knew she was right, This was our shop. To be honest, there were many aspects that still needed to be figured out but once we saw the “perfect” space we knew that they were all possible. Sometimes the space informs the business. Thus, Makerspace Sellwood was born.

Alison, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Meet Alison Osborn + Mackenzie Gray

We are makers who connected as mothers, grew into true friends, and over the years evolved into balanced business partners and chasers of big, exciting dreams. Mackenzie has run her letterpress printing + design business, Cotton Flower Press, going on 15 years and Alison looked to Mackenzie for mentorship when starting to sell her ceramics as Alison Osborn Ceramics in 2020. Together, we became the makers of Makerspace Sellwood.

Makerspace Sellwood is a space for everyone to, learn, shop, commune, and share in the Sellwood-Moreland neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. Offering creative, project based workshops — we are a respite, and a much needed breather for all of our technology-fatigued brains and hearts. Come get your hands dirty with us, with a side of community.

We offer beginner friendly workshops in handbuilt ceramics, letterpress printing, stained glass, fiber arts, botanical design, and so much more! Providing an art space for adults(and sometimes children) that is centered around community and connection is our passion. After the isolation of parenting young children and a global pandemic we yearned for a minimalist space to create and learn with and from other amazing artists. We figured “if we need it, others do to.”

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

We actually met at my wedding. I(Alison) went to high school with Mackenzie’s husband and we met when he brought her as his date. It would be another 3 years however before we really started our friendship journey. She was pregnant with twins while I was pregnant with my child and we gave birth 5 weeks apart. It ends up the isolation of raising newborns can really bond you. I always looked up to Mackenzie’s ability to pull it all together while also parenting a toddler and when the pandemic came, we bubbled up and built trust in our families and friendship. When I was searching for a purpose outside of parenthood, she was the only person that I knew I wanted to go on this small business journey with.

Does your business have multiple or supplementary revenue streams (like a ATM machine at a barbershop, etc)?

While our business is 70% a workshop space we count on our small retail section, gallery space, maker markets, and private events to supplement. Especially leaning on retail during the holidays.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.makerspacesellwood.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/makerspacesellwood

Image Credits

Amy Wennerlind, Mackenzie Gray