MakeWith Hardware and Learning Center, created by Aria Joughin, helps people expand their life skills for the sake of the collective community.
MakeWith aims to teach “resiliency skills” to their community and beyond, particularly to adapt to current and future global strife. They advocate for food security, for example, with workshops like gardening and building garden boxes, with plans to add workshops in canning, preserving and foraging. Other skills they teach include mending clothes, tool sharpening, electrical workshops, and drywall repair.
Portland has faced multiple recent environmental crises – a heat dome, extreme wildfire smoke, dangerous air quality, and recurring snow and ice storms. After living through these experiences, Joughin was galvanized to create a space dedicated to teaching skills that make us stronger, individually and communally. Whether we’re facing days without power or want to do some at-home projects without hiring a professional, MakeWith centers on the idea that these skills can be built, learned, and cultivated.
Joughin believes building confidence is over half the battle when learning a new skill. By simply making the workshop warm and inviting, Joughin creates an environment where anyone would feel welcome. The utilitarian and bright workshop offers snacks and tea in cute mismatched mugs.
MakeWith is open to anyone who wants to learn but puts special emphasis on welcoming those who have not historically been taught these skills, particularly marginalized genders and queer people. Their instructors help participants push through self-doubt and insecurity and offer plenty of beginner-oriented classes, teaching skills some might see as common knowledge (like changing a tire or sharpening a knife). “On any given block, we want to have the richest mix of skills possible because that block is going to be your source of safety, security and survival in weird times,” said Joughin, who founded the center in September 2023.
In popular culture, discussions about disaster preparedness and sustainable living are often associated with fear-mongering, supremacy, and isolationism – all things Aria intentionally avoids at MakeWith. They approach these frequently loaded topics in a way that’s welcoming to a range of people who might otherwise avoid learning preparedness skills entirely. It’s not just about the practicality of the skills learned but the added benefit of building camaraderie within your neighborhood or city. Particularly in a world increasingly saturated with apps and websites that make human interaction more and more rare (think Lyft, Postmates, Amazon), Joughin encourages folks to explore the material needs and skills they can exchange with their neighbors and friends.
Joughin is a massive fan of Reclaim NW, and the Rebuilding Center uses as many found or repurposed materials as possible. Portland is well-positioned as a do-it-yourself haven, with its long history of reuse, restoration, and salvaging, from the wrecking industry to cob building and City Repair. It’s also a city that grants many residents more space for at-home projects and gardening (backyards, basements, porches, and garages) compared to most other urban environments.
Joughin plans to run a fully functioning hardware store within the workshop, which will usher in folks who might not have otherwise heard of MakeWith. Hardware stores are a critical part of a community, supplying essentials that everyone needs. Joughin would love for the future hardware store to be a resource for greater resilience. They plan to seek additional funding to make this expansion possible.
Keeping in mind the climate and economic crises, both present and looming, Joughin said, “The question is no longer, ‘How do we stop it?’ but ‘How do we survive it?'” For MakeWith, at least, the answer is that we can survive it together.
MakeWith releases quarterly schedules on makewithpdx.com and consistently updates its Instagram @makewithpdx with events, plans, and helpful information. 5908 SE 72 in Portland, Oregon.
