welcome in
ANNUAL REPORT 2025
One year can change a place.
Walk through the doors of MadJax today, and you'll find people making, learning, teaching, building businesses, and discovering skills they didn't know they had. There's an energy in this building that's hard to miss, and it's the result of people investing in what MadJax can become.
Over the past year, our focus has been simple: build the foundation that allows creativity and community to grow in a sustainable way.
That work is taking shape. Maker Space membership continued to grow, workshops expanded, and our spaces became more active as more people returned to learn, create, and connect.
That momentum doesn't happen by accident. It comes from strengthening systems, improving our spaces, investing in safety and infrastructure, listening to our community, and showing up every day. Our staff, members, tenants, and partners have all played a role in shaping what MadJax is becoming. Our Board of Directors has provided steady leadership through important moments of growth and governance, helping guide MadJax from its startup years toward a stronger, more sustainable future.
What stands out most to me is the sense of belonging that's taking root here. MadJax is becoming a place where people come to build something meaningful, start a business, connect with others, and discover what's possible.
This report reflects a year of meaningful progress and a stronger foundation for the future.
If you've supported MadJax in any way this year, thank you. Whether you've attended an event, rented a studio, taught a workshop, made a donation, shared our story, or simply encouraged someone to walk through our doors, you've helped move this mission forward. We're grateful for a community that believes in investing in people and creating a place where everyone belongs.
There is more ahead, and we're just getting started.
Welcome in.
What Happened When People Stepped Inside
Growth can be measured in numbers, but it's best understood through people. These stories highlight the makers, entrepreneurs, partnerships, and experiences that brought the theme of Welcome In to life.
Welcome in: The Maker Space
This is Where Ideas Start to Move
Ideas do not move without space.
In 2025, MadJax made more room for people to try, to test, and to figure things out. And when that space was there, people used it.
The Maker Space grew in more than one way. Membership increased more than 4X.
We saw what happens when tinkerers, makers, and dabblers have access to tools, space, and a community that supports them. Ideas moved faster. Projects got bigger. People started to take their work more seriously.
For Maranda Lujajohnson, the Maker Space became a place to build what was not possible before. What started as a need for space to create furniture quickly turned into something more. She began prototyping products and even leading MadJax workshops, sharing what she has learned with others in the space.
As more people stepped in, the need for different kinds of space became clear.
Art Studios on 2 opened as an extension of the Maker Space. This was shaped directly by what the community was asking for. Alongside shared space to collaborate, there are now private studios where people can focus, return to their work consistently, and continue building over time.
Together, these spaces have made it easier for people to not just start, but to keep going.
And in 2025, we saw what becomes possible when they do.
Welcome in: The Community
Opening the Doors Wider
In 2025, we welcomed people into our 80,000 square foot building in multiple ways.
Those ways were created through partnerships and community moments that were already bringing people together.
Through Third Thursday with the Muncie Makers Market, the building regularly filled with local makers, shoppers, and visitors.
Moth Danner, owner of Muncie Makers Market, was looking to create a night market experience in Muncie. At the same time, MadJax was looking for ways to activate the building and make it more accessible. Third Thursday was born out of that alignment.
MadJax also joined events across Muncie that brought new audiences through the doors, including Second Harvest Food Bank’s Soup Crawl.
During the Soup Crawl, MadJax participated for the first time, welcoming visitors already exploring downtown and giving them a reason to step inside.
The Old Washington Street Festival created another entry point. With vendor booths and free, hands-on crafts, people could stop by and make something without needing to know anything about MadJax beforehand.
Throughout the summer, a free concert series with Guardian Brewing Company invited the community to gather, bring a chair, and spend time in the space in a different way.
Each of these moments created another way in.
And in 2025, people took it.
Welcome In: Entrepreneurship
There’s More Than One Way to Build
Across the building, individuals are using the space to grow businesses, test ideas, and create work that reflects who they are. Some are building from the ground up. Others are refining something they have been working toward for years.
For SteVen, that meant creating a salon space that reflects both his work and his identity, building something personal within a larger creative community. For Tim and Lacey Garza, it meant growing their detailing and window tinting business through consistency, hands-on work, and a commitment to doing it themselves while mentoring others along the way.
These stories do not stand alone. They are part of a broader ecosystem inside MadJax that supports different ways of working and building.
Spaces like The CO:LAB were created to support entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small teams looking for a place to focus and grow. By offering flexible, professional workspace within a creative environment, CO:LAB lowers barriers for people building businesses and pursuing independent work.
This year, CO:LAB remained an important part of the MadJax ecosystem. Members used the space to meet with clients, collaborate with peers, and move their work forward in a consistent and supported environment. Being part of a larger community of makers and creatives adds value beyond the workspace itself, creating opportunities for connection, visibility, and growth.
As we continue to strengthen operations across the building, CO:LAB will remain a key piece of how we support entrepreneurship and create pathways for people to turn ideas into sustainable work.
Throughout the building, from service-based businesses to gathering spaces like Guardian Brewing Company, there are multiple ways to build something here. Some are highly visible. Others are still taking shape.
What becomes clear is not one path, but many.
And in 2025, more people stepped into that process, building something that belongs to them, in a space that makes it possible to keep going.
THE NUMBERS
What happens at MadJax is shaped by the people who walk through the door.
As we look ahead, we are excited to continue creating space for makers, artists, entrepreneurs, and community members to explore, experiment, and build something of their own. We can't wait to see what takes shape next.