The shop (
Columbus Idea Foundry) where my cars are going together is part community workshop. In fact, that's how it started - as a 2500 sq-ft, community workshop. It has since (in ~3 years) grown to a 24,000 sq-ft community workshop/business incubator. The Inhaler Project is a new start-up collaboration between my personal biz and that workshop/incubator, housed in a studio in the complex.
I said all that just to stress the point that I am very familiar with what you're starting. It's a great concept and works extremely well. Our complex is absolutely flooded with talent and creativity, and has gained a great reputation and loads of respect in the community.
We also did a Kickstarter to help with the expansion from 10,000 sq-ft to 20,000, and now 24,000 - it was much smaller than what you're seeking but was successful by almost 100% over the goal. The key is finding a way to target thousands of people who think it is a good idea for the community and see their contribution as helping with that goal. These community workshops really can do that. We sponsored a local high school robotics team, that went on to place at or near the top in national competition. We have interns from schools and colleges who get a real taste of what American creativity and ingenuity look like, outside the classroom. It's one thing to read about designing and manufacturing stuff in class text, but another to see it actually happening - I love seeing the faces light up (even with a lot of older folk). Those are the things you have to pitch for the Kickstarter, to the people who they mean something to.
Here's to you reaching that exponential growth period, so I'll have a place to start my next hot rod project, when I move there!
