I love the idea behind Brainbar. Brainbar is a learning collective where DIY thinkers and doers get together to learn from one another. For example, I always wanted to learn how to make sushi. I even tried. But the result was terrible and the rice kept getting stuck to my fingers, which made a mess of things, and… well… that was that. If there was a place that I could have gone to take a lesson, from someone in the community who was willing to teach me, then the result would have been completely different.

Now, take the above example, and multiply it by 50. Learning to change the flat tire of a bike. Figuring out how to rewire a lamp. Tiling a floor. Stitching a pair of pants. When it comes to learning how to accomplish unfamiliar tasks, we could all use a few lessons.

Thankfully Meagan Walker and Karlie Beil, cofounders of Brainbar, have come up with the perfect solution that will allow all of us to tackle those elusive DIY feats on our own. The concept is simple. Team up people who know what they’re doing with people who don’t know what they’re doing (but want to learn). Those looking to learn, pay to participate in the hands-on lessons, and the instructors benefit through profit sharing.

“We came up with the loose idea for Brainbar more than a year ago,” says Meagan. “We were co-workers and kind of unsure of where our careers were going. We imagined what we could be doing, and out this idea fell. At first we didn’t even know what to call it! But since then, we’ve we’ve refined the concept, found similar business models, and met with tons of people from the community about what they’d like to teach or learn.” “After over a year of researching and planning, Meagan and I feel confident about taking Brainbar to the next level. We’re excited to have the opportunity bring this kind learning community to Buffalo,” Karlie adds. In order to get Brainbar off the ground, Meagan and Karlie are looking to raise $8000. They are doing this through a Kickstarter campaign (click here to see/donate). Once the project is funded, you can expect to either teach or learn about some of your favorite activities, such as wine tasting, veggie chopping, baking, etc. There are a lot of experts out there who are ready to share what they know with the world. What is it that you would like to learn? Why no stick around and find out?

You can also visit Brainbar Buffalo by visiting this website.