The Maker City

The Maker City started after a small team from Knoxville attended the first Etsy Maker Cities Summit in Brooklyn in May 2016. The team included a local maker, retailer, and city official. The idea was simple: to join 14 other teams from across the country, learn from each other, and walk away with an actionable plan to make our city more supportive of micro businesses. We left knowing that we needed to host a similar event in Knoxville, bringing together micro-businesses, manufacturers, and city officials in the same room. The ETSY MAKER CITY SUMMIT was held at The Mill & Mine on September 19, 2016. Alongside Etsy, whose industry leading online platform is driving creative entrepreneurship and manufacturing policies around the world, they explored what makes Knoxville the perfect “Maker City” through a series of interactive panel discussions about maker spaces, growing a business and creative manufacturing. Nearly 400 people attended the Etsy Maker City Summit, which kicked off Innov865 Week. Joined by Etsy representatives and the MakeKnox team, Mayor Rogero officially proclaimed Knoxville a 'Maker City' and announced the Maker Council.