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Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Low 32F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph..

Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Low 32F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph.

The MINT pop-up shop at 56 Merchants Row in Rutland has items for sale made by MINT Makerspace members this holiday season.

Lisa Steckler makes stained glass ornaments for sale at the MINT pop-up shop at 56 Merchants Row in downtown Rutland on Thursday.

The MINT pop-up shop at 56 Merchants Row in Rutland has items for sale made by MINT Makerspace members this holiday season.

Lisa Steckler makes stained glass ornaments for sale at the MINT pop-up shop at 56 Merchants Row in downtown Rutland on Thursday.

A window-front video playing on a loop shows a quick clip introducing a wood shop, with a short tabletop saw demo, setting the scene. One-of-a-kind, hand-blown stained glass hangs a few feet away in another display window, near a mixed hardwood Vermont-shaped cutting board and a row of fresh-cut soaps. The MINT is running a pop-up shop at 53 Merchants Row through December — and with its faux-fireplace and a sewing machine setup, it’s like a pop-up Santa’s workshop.

“We opened on Nov. 3 with the Downtown Sip and Shop event, and we’ve been open since,” said Kim Griffin, executive director of the MINT Makerspace.

This is a first for the MINT, which works a lot like a gym: Members have access to the space and equipment seven days a week and, if you don’t know how to use a tool or piece of equipment, they’ll train you.

The warehouse space at 112 Quality Lane in Rutland has 12 shops, from pottery to welding, to wood working, to stained glass, jewelry and 3D printers among them.

“It’s basically an adult playground,” Griffin said.

But beyond being a shared workshop furnished with all the tools you’d ever need, the MINT offers a place to share knowledge, experience and ideas, whether you’re a hobbyist, DIY-er, educator, student or company. The only thing it doesn’t offer is a retail space — until the pop-up shop, that is.

“This was … something that our makers have been wanting to do but hadn’t had the opportunity,” Griffin said. “Some of them, it’s the first time they’re selling anything and some are old hats but (with) a new venue in a public walk-up space.”

Tyler Richardson, operations director at the Chamber and Economic Development of the Rutland Region also has been the board president for the MINT for the last several years. He noted, “Something like this has been talked about for years. For them to be able to get their products out into the community is a pretty exciting opportunity.”

“There’s possibilities for (the pop-up) to be seasonal, annual, (or) permanent it’s just a matter of figuring out the economics behind all of that,” Richardson said. “The organization is feeling out what the market needs.”

“This is a great way to test the community in what the maker space could offer it, and let the community know that this asset exists in our area,” he added. “For $50 a month, to be able to go in and use these tools in a 14,000-square-foot facility, that’s pretty cool, and our hope is that more people find out about (it).”

The pop-up shop is full of all-local and unique products and Christmas gifts, some for as little as $10, and with its success so far there is talk about a more permanent storefront in the future.

“It has gone really well, so there is some chatter about should we keep this going,” Griffin said. “We’ll take a breath for the rest of the winter and then get a sense of, is there a market for us to have a retail space more permanently somewhere.”

The MINT pop-up is open Wednesday from 11 a.m to 6 p.m.; Thursday and Friday from 2:30 to 6 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 2 p.m.

Visit rutlandmint.org for more information.

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