The Imagine Foundry and UC Makerspace have announced plans to move their facilities into the Cookeville Mall.
UC Makerspace Executive Director Johnny Blayze said the two non-profits are currently partnered and operating out of offices on South Willow Avenue. Blayze said they have to move out of their current facility by July and saw the Cookeville Mall as an intriguing option.
“We have been working with that realtor, as well as the mall ownership, and a couple of local contractors, to try to make this thing come to fruition,” Blayze said. “It’s a huge upgrade for us. It’s an 18,000 square-foot space, and it will hold all of the things.”
Imagine Foundry is a children’s museum focused on sparking curiosity through play-based learning. UC Makerspace provides a community-centered, hands-on environment where teens and adults can build, repair, and create projects, often supporting DIY work, small business prototyping, and skill development.
Blayze said he is looking to secure funding from different businesses and entities throughout the community to help fund the buildout. Blayze said he attended the Cookeville City Council’s recent meeting to get the word out in hopes of getting further financial assistance.
“If you know anybody, council and mayor, who would be interested in helping us move this forward, we are open with open arms, in-kind donations, sponsor a tool, sponsor a space, however anybody sees to help. We would love to have the support,” he said. “We think this is something the kids and the adults and all the entrepreneurs in this area really need because the skills in the Upper Cumberland are unseen anywhere else in this country, and if we give them the tools and the access to the facilities that they can make those things from an idea into something tangible, I think we would all be a lot better off in the UC.”
Blayze said after working with local contractors, a buildout will cost an estimated $2.4 million. Blayze said the plan is to move in by July and gradually renovate the space in phases.
“We expect to have the possession of the building by July,” Blaze said. “The build-out probably will not be done by July, but we are going to keep our programming functioning in some capacity, and whether that is we’re going to have a temporary location for the Imagine Foundries programs, because we have active kids that come here every single day, so we don’t want those programs to be lost while we’re in this transition.”
Cookeville Mayor Laurin Wheaton thanked Blayze for the non-profit’s contributions to the community.
“I want to personally thank you for what you have done because you’ve taken this and envisioned things I never thought could be possible,” Wheaton said. “Thank you for what you’re doing to encourage creativity and support for people who are trying to create a life here in Cookeville.”