New London — Spark Makerspace is poised for a return.

The community workshop, learning center and incubator of creativity has been without a home since it moved out of a leased space at 225 State St. last year. The group says this is its third and final move.

“We finally have a permanent home,” Spark Executive Director Casey Moran said of the new space at 7-13 Union St.

The $60,000 purchase of the nearly 10,000-square-foot vacant building, which is more than double the amount of space as its former home, came last summer with the financial help of a few generous members.

Grants and donations additionally have helped to propel the nonprofit closer to its $500,000 fundraising goal to fully renovate the building. That goal was buoyed by a $160,000 matching grant award from the Thames River Innovation Place.

“That’s what really got us going. It really would not have happened without that grant,” said Kristin Harkness, former owner of Wheeling City Tours and chairperson of Spark’s board.

She said it was an exciting time for the group and people are anxious to start setting up equipment. She credits building owner Bruce Baratz for offering a reasonable selling price and the city for its support along the way.

“It’s a very cool old building and it's right downtown,” Harkness said. “It’s right where we want to be.”

The first phase of the renovation, which included a new roof and new windows, is nearing completion, with a planned reopening in September. A second phase would allow for the start of work on the second floor.

Spark, the brainchild of Hannah Gant, first formed in 2015 thanks to a Kickstarter campaign and opened at its first location in 2016 at the former El ‘n’ Gee Club at 86 Golden St. It immediately welcomed a mix of artists, craftsmen, hobbyists and tinkerers sharing equipment and ideas while hosting workshops and events.

It’s been a place “where people get to work with their hands and brains and get to meet like-minded people and create and share ideas,” Moran said.

Spark has offered everything from a stained glass studio and fiber arts space to a printmaking room and expansive wood shop.

Coupled with restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic, membership to the nonprofit has declined but not completely dissolved. There are loyal members who maintained membership, continue to volunteer and participate in workshops and in-person and virtual demonstrations.

There are about 60 people now on a membership waiting list waiting to come back.

Board member John Davis said Spark’s new location will contain space for eight or nine different mediums, along with a community space.

It’s a place, he said, that allows individuals to pursue their passions and hobbies without a huge out-of-pocket cost to themselves. He became a member about three years ago when looking for an area to work on salvaged window frames he transforms into art or useful objects such as coat racks.

“Part of the real value of membership is that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel,” Davis said. “It’s also about a sense of community. Our place has a heavy emphasis on people and being community. It’s a nice group of people who are inordinately nonjudgmental.”

Harkness compared Spark membership to a gym membership where classes and equipment are available for a monthly rate. Spark’s rates run from $30 to $55 per month.

For more information, visit sparkmakerspace.org.

g.smith@theday.com