Within the walls of an old macaroni factory in Pilsen, Nuha Nazy and her partner, Emilia Rogowska, are looking to combine manufacturing and art in their soon-to-open business, Z-axis Factory. Described by the partners as "artistic cowering," Z-axis looks to be a full-service space with everything from a 3-D printer, CNC woodcutting machine, and welding room, to a conference suite and a shipping area.
"From having a receptionist at all hours that we're open, to having a production staff, our approach to every aspect is built around what do you need to do to succeed as an artist, as a maker?" said Nazy.
Prior to starting Z-axis, Nazy had a company that custom-designed 3-D products for people with medical needs. She wanted to stay with 3-D printing, but needed the expensive equipment to be useful beyond a purely manufacturing standpoint.
"My approach was to focus on the engineers and the tech world, and Emilia's the one who said, "you know, all the equipment you're talking about would be phenomenal for an artist," said Nazy. "She really brought the whole concept of focusing on the art community."
It made perfect sense," continued Rogowska, who makes stained glass in her spare time. "We have all this really hi-tech equipment that doesn't really get used as often. So how do you justify the cost of a machine like this? When you can use it for other things, then you can actually get the best of it. I've always made art, but I've never been an artist that is only just painting. I've done a lot in a lot of different things because I get bored with one thing. How do I justify buying a $20,000 machine?"
Other aspects of Z-axis's service will help cover the cost of equipment, as will the selling of memberships and day passes to use the space.
"Most artists that I've talked to, they're not business people, right?" Rogowska said. "We can market their things, we have a website where we can put their things on there. We're creating an ability for them to run their own business. They're the creative one; we'll make sure that they actually succeed at it."
The pair look forward to seeing the space's members learn from each other and perhaps use each other's skills in their respective businesses, a philosophy that is unusual in both coworking and maker spaces to date. They plan to promote member services internally and to the outside world, including an Etsy store for custom products. Smaller scale passion products, such as Nazy's plan to custom-design shoes for her friend, crip artist Riva Lehrer, are what keep the women invested in the space.
"This is the stuff that actually drives our interest in the business," said Nazy, who found in her previous venture that insurance companies are behind the curve when it comes to financing 3-D printed medical materials.
With its unique blend of art and commerce, the Lacuna Lofts, at 2150 S. Canalport, is an ideal space for Z-axis. In fact, Nazy said developer Joey Cacciatore was looking for just this sort of business when they stumbled upon the building, which is absolutely covered in artwork, inside and out.
"Their entire mission is the art community. It's 250,000 square feet and it's all lofts. You walk around and you're like, "that's a skateboard light fixture," said Nazy.
"You're actually in the space where art happens," added Rogowska.
While they'd originally envisioned a fairly neutral space, Cacciatore convinced them to let designer Davide Nanni of Salvage One fame make their space "look cool," like the rest of Lacuna's interior. So far, the Z-axis space is almost all reclaimed products such as old shower doors and pallets. These barriers help divide the space into smaller, material-specific areas.
As immigrants, Nazy from Jordan and Rogowska from Poland, the couple value the idea of small business. "I love being a small business owner," said Nazy. "The reason immigrants come to the U.S. is having that ability to determine your own future, and a lot of that is being a small business owner. "
Nazy and Rogowska look forward to giving back to the community. They plan on making both their space and equipment as ADA compliant as possible, and they'd love to start training at-risk and homeless LGBTQ teenagers and adults to use their equipment.
"The idea is to come up with ways for growth in our own community," said Nazy. "To work with SHE100, Center on Halsted, others in the community to develop programs that train at risk, homeless—people that are struggling, give them some sort of an outlet to gain experience to take on jobs that are more substantial."
"Even people that have their day job but are trying to work on something else, or make extra money, or start their own business," added Rogowska.
To connect with the Pilsen community, which already has a strong tradition of community arts events like Second Friday, the pair want to have a weekly happy hour and monthly open house. And even though Z-axis is set to launch this month with a grand opening party, they already see the space expanding in accordance with their members' needs.
"We're spending about 65 percent of our equipment budget with the expectation that members will ask us for the other 35 percent, and it will be tailored to what they actually want, rather than what we imagine they want," explained Nazy. "I think we've got a good mix of services and support and it'll evolve. Someone's going to say, 'oh we need something else,' and we'll adjust to that."
"Every time you're starting something, you kind of have an idea of what it's going to be," said Rogowska. "It's like you're watching a plant: you know what's supposed to come out, but how fruitful and how large it's going to become, you really don't have a clue. There's so many things I saw in my head, and now that I'm seeing it actually come up I was like, 'oh my god, this is so much better.'"
The Z-axis grand opening party is Sat., Oct. 22, 7-11 p.m. For more information, visit ZAxisFactory.com .
