What is The Shop?
The Shop is a public space for making, learning, and building community. We are located next to the South Novato Library and we're free for all to visit and use.
We offer a wide range of tools and activities for patrons of all ages, such as woodworking, painting, bicycle maintenance, sewing and more. Our staff are more than happy to assist you with any project you are working on or trade you would like to learn, within our availability. This is your space to create! We are also here to assist schools and community groups with their learning goals and we're always excited to collaborate.
The Shop is a place where community and creativity come together.
Learn more about what we do and what we have at The Shop below.
Still have questions? Send us an email or give us a call.
Location
Drop-In Hours
| Monday | Closed |
| Tuesday - Level 1 | 3 - 7 |
| Wednesday - Level 1 | 2 - 5 |
| Thursday - Level 1 | 1 - 4 |
| Friday | Closed |
| Saturday - Family Days | 11 - 3 |
| Sunday | Closed |
LEVEL 1 vs LEVEL 2
In order to guarantee maximum assistance and safety, we have separate days for different activities. Level 2 programs require a training and waiver, while Level 1 programs do not.
Level 1 Programming
Training and waiver not required for Level 1 programs, materials, tools and activities.
Programs include: Water painting, acrylic painting, spray painting, origami, coloring, sewing, knitting, Legos, cardboard cutouts, chalk drawings, playdough, bicycle maintenance, small scale architecture, and laser engraving
Level 2 Programming
Level 2 Programming will resume April 2024.
Training and waiver are required for Level 2 programs materials, tools and activities.
Programs include: Joint carpentry, general carpentry, whittling, woodturning, and wood crafting
Family Days
Saturdays are always Family Days.
These are family friendly activity days, where you can work with our staff on a particular project.
Sometimes they are also training days or seminars where you can learn specific skills we consider important for you to know at home.
You can learn more and see in advance what we are doing by checking our website.
Either way, you can expect to have a good time learning something new if you visit us on a Saturday.
Guidelines
- No users under the age of 8 allowed inside without a parent or guardian.
- All power tools must be checked out by staff before use and users must pass a brief training.
- No food allowed inside.
- No earphones while inside the shop.
- Open toed shoes are not allowed around power tools.
- Activities involving power tools or chemicals may require safety equipment.
- No tools may leave the shop under any circumstances.
- All materials are available for use in the shop, but stock is limited. For larger personal projects you may be requested to provide those materials yourself.
- Consistent waste of materials is prohibited and may lead to removal from the program.
- In the event of an emergency, all projects must immediately come to a stop and the shop must be vacated.
- Level 2 programming requires a waiver, and a waiver is good for one year. Level 2 programming will resume April 2024. All users over the age of 18 must sign a waiver and users under the age of 18 need a parent or guardian to complete the waiver.
- No weapons of any kind will be made inside the shop or brought inside the shop.
Tools
Here are some of the tools we have:
- Miter saw
- Bandsaw
- Circular saw
- Reciprocating saw
- Jigsaw
- Drill press
- Power drill
- Belt sander
- Orbital sander
- Bench grinder
- Lathe
- Hand router
- Rotary tool
- Hand saws
- Hand planers
- 12" Combo Planer/Jointer with Helical Cutterhead
- Chisels
- Whittling knives
- Hot glue guns
- Allen keys
- Bleed kit
- Torque wrench
- Sewing machine
- Sewing needles
- Spray paint
- Laser cutter
Teachers & Community Groups
If you are a teacher or a community group leader looking to expand your learning goals and curriculum with us, please send us an email at: SNO@marincounty.org. We can visit you, or even better you can visit us and have full access to our menu of hands on learning.
- Woodworking/Woodturning
- Blueprint design
- Painting
- Hand Tools 101
- Power Tools 101
- Fun with Magnets
- Fix My Own Clothes
- And more!
