At the end of Hankey Street in Leicester, there is an 18-acre property that has seen over 100 years of industry. First, it was home to a blacksmith shop, then to textile manufacturers, and in 1949, Worcester Tool & Stamping built a factory that has stood there ever since.

Over the years, Worcester Tool & Stamping added new sections onto the factory, built a kitchen and a conference room, and continued to crank out hardware until 2016, when the Magnuson family sold the company.

Now, the building is entering a new era as the East Coast’s largest makerspace, a place for people to work on everything from woodworking to glassblowing projects under the same roof, while sharing their ideas, expertise and equipment.

The new WorcShop location is set to have its grand opening Oct. 16, according to co-founders Randal and Angela Meraki.

After two years of pandemic difficulties, the WorcShop makerspace and business incubator is putting the finishing touches on a new facility in the former factory, which will include several shops, storage space, a kitchen and conference areas.

“We have added quite a few new shops, and have become much more well-rounded as a large-scale industrial makerspace,” said Randal Meraki, who is WorcShop's executive director. “We have a fully equipped wood shop and glass shop, and the prospect of electric and hybrid vehicle repair and classes, and I think that's going to be really massive for the community.”

The WorcShop first opened its doors on Stafford Street in Worcester in 2016. The Merakis realized in early 2020 that it was outgrowing its original space and entered into talks with the Magnuson family about the Leicester property.

In addition to the wood shop and glass shop, the Leicester makerspace includes a machine shop, a blacksmithing area, a 3D printer and sewing machines. The space will offer classes on woodworking, glassblowing, machining, blacksmithing and more, and according to Randal Meraki, members will be required to pass a certification on each piece of equipment to prove their ability to use it safely.

There is also a large storage space lined with bays in which WorcShop members will be able to set up their own tools and store their materials and products.

Angela Meraki, WorcShop's creative director, said the makerspace is waiting on final inspections and a certificate of occupancy from the town of Leicester, and that as soon as it obtains the certificate, the facility will be able to welcome back the supporting members whose financial contributions have kept the shop afloat.

Angela said that she and Randal were still in the process of setting up some of the shops, and that many of the startup’s supporting members are enthusiastically willing to help finish the job once the space opens.

“(Setup) goes a lot faster when we have members who can be in the space, because everybody wants to make the space great. There's a lot of team effort that we've relied on in creating this space and being a small startup,” she said.

According to Angela Meraki, hundreds of area residents from all walks of life filled out interest forms while the makerspace was between locations, and those people will be able to become members soon after the new facility opens.

Randal Meraki said that the WorcShop’s membership includes a wide range of demographics and expertise, and that he aimed to offer resources and classes that any member of the public could find useful.

“We have had a very wide variety of folks come through our doors and find an extraordinary value in the WorcShop,” Randal Meraki said. “Age ranges from 18 all the way up into their 70s, and folks that have a really wide professional skill set, from engineers to baristas.”

The makerspace was able to set up in the former Worcester Tool & Stamping factory in summer 2020, but the town of Leicester was rewriting its zoning laws at the same time, and the WorcShop was forced to close in December 2020 in order to fully upgrade the building and comply with town regulations.

Randal Meraki said that some of those upgrades included new fire alarm and sprinkler systems, egress doors and emergency lights. The startup also added new wheelchair-accessible bathrooms and updated the building’s entrances for better accessibility.

He also said that in the future, the WorcShop hopes to add an area where members can work on cars, as well as classes that members can take in order to obtain certifications in electric and hybrid vehicle maintenance.

“The vision is that you would be able to drive your car in and have access to car lifts and facilities to do maintenance on your car and modifications to your car,” Randal Meraki said. “(The shop would have) all the tools necessary to safely and legally work on your vehicles, or do modifications, such as swapping it from an internal combustion engine to an electric engine.”

“We expect a lot of fire art, demonstrations, some keynote speakers, and copious amounts of tours and other entertainments. It'll be a good time, and I encourage everybody to come,” Randal Meraki said.

Go to the WorcShop at theworcshop.com. It can be reached via email at theworcshop@gmail.com.