A place to build -- and a community to grow in, together
Community Factory isn't just a workshop, and it isn't just a shop full of tools. It's a place where you can walk in with an idea and walk out with something real -- and where the people building next to you become part of your own story. This isn't something we're handing you finished. It's a community we're growing together, one member, one project, one class at a time.
Why here, why now
Right now, if you live in Garner or South Wake County and want a place to 3D print, learn electronics, build something out of wood, sew a project, or work with clay, there isn't one nearby. The closest options are specialty shops built for adults only, or a drive of 30 minutes or more into Raleigh or Durham. Meanwhile, our community keeps growing -- more families, more retirees looking for something meaningful to do with their time, more people who want to make things with their hands and have never had anywhere to do it. Community Factory exists to close that gap, right here in Garner.
What we do
Community Factory is built around a simple idea: one membership gets you access to every discipline, under one roof.
- 3D Printing -- from quick personal prints to premium finished pieces
- Electronics -- circuits, microcontrollers, and hands-on fundamentals
- CAD & Modeling -- design what you're going to build
- Woodworking -- hand tools and light shop equipment
- Sewing & Fabric -- machines and dedicated project space
- Clay & Sculpting -- hands-on work with Sculpey and other oven-bake and air-dry clays (kiln ceramics is a future goal, not part of our initial launch)
Classes and workshops are the on-ramp: a low-commitment way to try something new and meet the people who become your community. For makers who want a dedicated space of their own, workframe rentals give you a personal spot inside the studio.
Everything here runs on three simple pillars: Learn something new. Build something real. Belong to something bigger.
Who's behind it
I'm Justin Ficurilli, the founder of Community Factory.
I've been a maker since before I knew the word for it -- taking things apart and building them back together as a kid, long before I earned dual engineering degrees (Computer Engineering and Electrical Engineering) from NC State University. Since then I've spent a career at the intersection of building and teaching: designing hardware and firmware, training people one-on-one and in workshops, and running the day-to-day operations of a facility that served hundreds of people every week. I've also started businesses of my own more than once, because building things -- including the businesses that let you keep building -- is just what I do.
Garner is my home. I started Community Factory because this community deserved a place like this, and no one else was building it. So I am.
The vision
Community Factory is just getting started. What we're building today -- membership, classes, camps, a place to make things -- is the foundation for everything that comes next: more programs, more disciplines, more ways for this community to build together.
This is a place to learn, a place to build, and a place to belong. Come be part of it.
Get in touch ->