Chandra Jones

Sharpies, gel pens, pencils, paints, magic markers, paint pens, fabric markers...

Whenever you can, get high-quality writing tools. They feel better, and your makers deserve to use things that are nice.

You're going to get sick of me saying to get a wide variety, but I'll keep saying it. Giving people options means they can think about the properties of the right material, and choose appropriately, giving their work a better chance of success. 

Copy paper, tissue paper, tracing paper, graph paper, butcher paper, cardboard.....

Get brave. It's safer to cut with a sharp blade than a dull one, and safer to use the right tool than the wrong one, so have the good stuff available. Craft knives, box cutters, rotary blades, scissors of all kinds, a paper cutter, everything you can get your hands on. Keep these items sharp -- change the blades, take them to a knife sharpener, ect.

Paper clips, rubber bands, binding clips, string, yarn, rope, and a very tough stapler. When otherwise reasonable people just can't get something to stay put, they get irrational and desperate. Don't blame them, arm them.

The more variety you can come up with the better. Scotch tape, double-sided cellophane tape, double-sided foam tape, aluminum tape, duct tape, washi tape, masking tape, copper tape, carpet tape, ALL OF THE TAPES!

The first year that I did makerspace stuff, my budget was so small I didn't want to spend anything on things that didn't go directly to the patrons. I worked out of random cardboard boxes and it was awful. Luckily, my boss saw my struggle and gave me a $20 budget for bins. Sterilite 6-qt. bins work great for many things, can be labeled with almost anything, and stack nicely. Plus, they're cheap.

I'm not trying to freak you out, but injuries do happen. Having the right supplies at hand can make a burn or cut seem like a small thing in an otherwise great day, while bleeding everywhere and feeling unprepared can be scary and memorable in the wrong way. 

Things I make sure to have include band-aids (boring and awesome ones), alcohol wipes, Neosporin, burn gel, paper towels, running water, and an ice pack. When planning events, I think through the risks and add supplies as appropriate. Your projects might be very different than mine, so take a moment to think about the worst case scenarios so you can react quickly and appropriately when accidents occur.