The Innovation Center at Saratoga is a story of community, collaboration, and perseverance. By day, I own a website development, social media, and branding company that turns 30 years old in the spring of 2026. We work primarily with small businesses, non-profits, and artists.

For years, I felt there had to be a way to bring together artists, entrepreneurs, and community members in a way that helped everyone grow. There is actually a note on my bulletin board from 8 or 9 years ago that says “What is IT?”. Through my web development clients,, I could see how different groups could benefit from the experience and skills of the others.

In July, 2019, we formed the non-profit organization with just 3 people involved. In November, 2019, we had a location and announced the space and concept to a room full of over 50 people. The response was all positive. Everyone was looking forward to beginning. We had an architect and were ready to send out bid requests to local construction companies. In March, 2020, the world shut down. We paused activities and started to wait things out. By 2021, we had lost our space – but it was going to cost almost $1Million to renovate, probably a blessing in disguise. No one in their right mind would donate to a new non-profit to spend that kind of money on a building they did not own.

We started looking. In August, 2024, a building literally fell in our laps. We took possession January 1, 2025. With a team of close to 20 people, we started cleaning and organizing. The previous tenants left so many things we could use – it was cheaper for them to trash the items than to move to their new location in the south. We took advantage. In late April, we held our first class. In June, our grand opening. By July, we had 3 employees. Today, over 300 people have attended classes. Our reach has grown from a few hundred to a couple thousand – and we’re still growing.

I was in the building last night. As our board meeting finished, 15 people were arriving for Community Threads, a free monthly gathering of people who sit together and work on their knitting/crocheting/sewing projects. Six people were already in the classroom for the Introduction to Machine Sewing class. One member was there testing cuts on the CNC Router before he does a final cut for the playfield of the pinball machine he’s building, getting feedback from one of our board members. Another board member stayed to help install a new printhead on one of our 3D printers. And yet another board member was giving an orientation to our weaving area. Our staff person on duty was giving a tour to 3 people who had stopped by. One of them had been there before – I recognized her. She said “you’ve come a long way since I was here last – I’ll come back.”  Tonight, we welcome our participants in the Entrepreneurship class for their next session. They are a great and inquisitive bunch of people all working to start a new business.  It doesn’t end there – 4 classes on the calendar this weekend – everything from stained glass to wood carving to designing 3D objects for printing. It just continues from there.

This was my vision. Teaching people new things. Supporting small businesses and artists as they grow their businesses. But, most importantly, everyone coming together to learn and share experiences.

STAY CONNECTED

• Instagram: @innovationcentersaratoga
• Facebook: Innovation Center Saratoga
• LinkedIn: The Innovation Center at Saratoga  – Beth Moeller
• Website: imediaconsult.com –  innovationcentersaratoga.org
• Email: [email protected] – [email protected]
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