When Wayne Center for the Arts began outfitting its new FabLab, the shopping list was a little different from the typical art studio.
Hammers and handsaws. Drill bits and saw blades. Tape measures, squares and rulers. Safety glasses and first aid supplies. And plenty of power tools.
Fortunately, WCA had a neighbor who knew exactly how to help.
E&H Ace Hardware, whose flagship store is located in downtown Wooster, worked closely with WCA to help furnish the FabLab with the tools and equipment needed to launch a new generation of hands-on arts programming.
The partnership went well beyond supplying items from a shopping list. E&H connected WCA with Milwaukee Tool and helped the organization take advantage of Milwaukee’s conversion program, which is designed in part to support trade schools and organizations outfitting new facilities. Through a combination of donated products, reduced-cost purchases and opportunities to earn additional equipment, the program allowed WCA to stretch its resources considerably further.
“We’re proud to partner with Milwaukee Tool and Wayne Center for the Arts to help bring this vision to life,” said Jordan Buehler, Director of Marketing at E&H Ace Hardware. “By combining Milwaukee’s industry-leading expertise and products with our local knowledge and commitment to the community, we were able to support a project that will inspire creativity, hands-on learning, and skill development for years to come.”
The result is a FabLab stocked with high-quality tools that will support woodworking, metalworking and other fabrication arts. Milwaukee equipment includes power tools and accessories ranging from bits and blades to saws and safety equipment. E&H also supplied an extensive collection of essential hand tools and shop supplies—including hammers and mallets, handsaws, screwdrivers, drill bits, tape measures, squares, metal rulers, safety glasses and first aid supplies—that will be used across multiple FabLab programs.
For FabLab Coordinator Alivia Maxwell, having the right tools in place has made an enormous difference as the new facility has begun welcoming students.
“We are incredibly grateful for all of the support and effort that has gone into helping us get the FabLab up and running,” Maxwell said. “The Milwaukee donations alone are going to make a huge difference!”
A Neighborhood Partnership
The collaboration is especially meaningful because E&H’s roots in Wayne County stretch back nearly a century. The Buehler family’s business history began in 1929, and the family added its first hardware operation in Orrville in 1959. Today, third- and fourth-generation family members continue to operate E&H Hardware Group, which opened its flagship E&H Ace Hardware store in downtown Wooster in 2022.
That combination of deep local roots and hands-on industry expertise made E&H a natural partner for a project built around the intersection of art, craftsmanship, industry and innovation.
“The FabLab was truly a community collaboration, and our partnership with E&H Ace Hardware is a wonderful example of that,” said Tiffany Leeper, WCA Director of Development. “E&H didn’t simply help us purchase equipment—they brought their expertise, relationships and enthusiasm to the project. Thanks to their partnership with Milwaukee Tool, our students have access to high-quality tools that will help them learn new skills, experiment with new ideas and create things we haven’t even imagined yet.”
The FabLab opened to the public this summer and has already hosted camps, open houses and introductory workshops, with full-length classes beginning this fall. The new facility expands WCA programming into fabrication arts including woodworking, metalworking, glass and other maker-based disciplines, creating new opportunities to connect the region’s artistic and industrial traditions.
For WCA, partnerships like this one demonstrate what the FabLab was intended to be from the beginning: a place where art, industry and community come together—and where having the right tools can open the door to entirely new possibilities.