On the long-vacant second floor of a 150-year-old former pharmacy at 4502 Cass St. in Pacific Beach, a fine artist, a vintage designer, and a ceramicist came together with a shared vision — and from that collaboration, Meraki Spaces was created.

“PB doesn’t have anything like this,” Melissa Medina, the fine artist, said. “It’s something that needed to happen, and the community is responding so well.”

Opened in December 2024, Meraki Spaces is a membership-based collective workspace that showcases local art and cultivates a community-centered environment for artists, DJs, photographers, and other creatives.

The workspace includes four rooms — the lab, the studio, the lounge, and a photography space — spanning more than 1,000 square feet. The photography space was recently used for an independent movie shoot.

“This building is special compared to a lot of others in San Diego,” said Darbe Canady, the vintage designer. “It has the trim, the crown molding, and that historical charm.”

Currently, Meraki Spaces has 35 members.

“We’ve had steady growth,” said Kahla Lauinger, the ceramicist.

Searching for studio space, Medina became the first tenant on the floor in 2022, followed by Canady a few weeks later.

“I was just looking for an art studio,” Medina said. “I tried to find something in PB, and there was nothing. I thought, ‘I can make it work.’”

“I moved here from Chicago and wanted a building with the history and charm this one has,” Canady added.

A November remodel transformed the second floor from what Medina and Canady described as a “lonely, quiet, sad space” into a hidden oasis of natural light, white walls, and local art, where retro doors open onto new ideas.

“The structure was here, but there were no businesses, no people,” Canady said. “It was just Melissa and me for two years. Now it’s almost impossible to create like we did before — doors are open, and artists are flowing in and out all day.”

“I started seeing realtors tour insurance brokers through the space,” Medina said. “We wanted to keep it creatively aligned. PB doesn’t have this. We felt like we owed it to the community.”

With prior experience managing a creative co-working space, Lauinger joined the team, and in November, the trio began working to launch the business.

“We completely put everything on pause in our businesses,” Medina said.

“And our personal lives,” Lauinger added with a laugh.

“We were here from sunup past sundown,” Medina said. “Hauling furniture for a month straight. It was all hands on deck.”

Membership includes a monthly hour’s bank — total hours depending on membership tier and managed through a booking app — as well as monthly events hosted at the space.

“We do a big networking event monthly,” Lauinger said. “Then we have a market where people can shop from our artists. We also hold smaller members-only events so the community can connect more personally.”

“Membership gives access to the space, but many people come for the community aspect,” Medina added.

Meraki Spaces takes no percentage, unlike many galleries that take a large commission from resident artists’ sales.

“One of the perks of being a member is your art gets hung on the wall,” Canady said. “We coordinate cool art events to get exposure, and we don’t take any sales cut — which is uncommon in the industry.”

The founders are also working to launch a nonprofit arm for scholarships and a future residency program.

“We have complimentary memberships for people from underrepresented communities,” Canady said. “We’re also engaged in an internship program with SDSU. We want to offer residencies where an artist stays for three to six months, creating for the community, with the cost subsidized by grants.”

Barriers to entry into the art world, they say, need to come down.

“We’re passionate about making things easier for artists,” Canady said. “So, they have more confidence and a safety net to build businesses from their passions.”

“The journey of an artist can be so lonely,” Medina added.

MERAKI SPACES

Where: 4502 Cass St.

Info: merakispaces.co.