Tenant Improvements For New Autistry Studios Maker Space
How a Mother’s Mission Became a Downtown Storefront—and a New Kind of Workplace
The Problem: Makers without a marketplace.
“I love this positive approach to working with autistic individuals.”
- Temple Grandin.
The Autistry is part coffee shop, part ice cream shop, and a Makers Market with an expansive workshop in the back where autistic young adults create the products sold in the market. The Autistry is a nonprofit organization that supports adults with autism by giving them meaningful, creative work.
Before The Autistry moved to its current space, it was located in a private residence out of sight from the public. It served a small number of young people, and they were not selling the crafts.
“They were making all these beautiful things in their workshop,” said Joe Meylan, whose team did the tenant improvements to build out the organization’s downtown San Rafael storefront. “Functional stuff. Handmade coasters, trays, even miniature construction trucks. People would come by and say, ‘Wow, you should be selling this.’
The problem? They weren’t. The studio was tucked away, out of sight. The people doing the work weren’t being seen. And the products weren’t reaching the community they deserved to.
The founder, Janet Lawson, who launched The Autistry to give her own son a path to follow, had the idea to open a storefront on mainstreet San Rafael, California. A retail space that had formerly housed a bookstore and cafe was available due to the book store moving to a different location. Janet reached out to Meylan Construction to convert the interior into a space that would work for customers and their special needs workforce.
The Building: From Bookstore to Boutique Social Enterprise
Janet found the perfect location: the old Copperfield’s Books storefront on Fourth Street, right in the heart of San Rafael. It was bright, central, and had just enough room to be a studio, a shop, and a café.
“It had this little area that used to be a coffee bar,” Joe recalled. “So she thought, what if we brought in a local coffee company and turned it into a shared space? We’d have people with autism working the café, making art in the back, and selling it up front. It was kind of brilliant.”
But the space needed major transformation. “We had to reimagine the entire interior. Make it functional, open, and accessible. It wasn’t about flash—it was about purpose.”
The Owner’s Goal: Create a Place Where People Can Be Seen
Janet’s vision was deeply personal. Her son is autistic, and she didn’t want him, or others with similar challenges, to live a life on the margins. “She’s one of those people you meet and instantly like,” Joe said. “Full of energy, full of heart. You can’t not root for her.”
Artistry’s goal wasn’t just about selling handmade goods. It was about dignity through visibility. Letting the public see what adults with autism are capable of, not just as workers, but as artists, baristas, and valued contributors to the community.
Joe said, "There are young adults that are working there. This is their career, and they really feel passionate about what they do. The parents are really engaged and love seeing their kids being able to thrive like that."
With the newly enlarged space, The Autistry has been able to expand beyond just providing makers opportunities, and have created programs for preparing these young people to navigate the world.
“All of our programs provide college support, vocational training, and workplace-socialspace skill building.” The Artistry states on their website.
“This wasn’t a retail construction job,” Joe said. “It was a mission.”
Meylan Construction's Role: Tenant Improvements
Joe’s team handled the buildout. Everything from new studio spaces to retail fixtures to collaborating with the café operators. “It was a small footprint, but a complex layout,” Joe said. “We had to make it flow between work zones, customer areas, and coffee service.”
Forest Manning, owner of Rainbow Ice Cream, who moved his business from a nearby location to inside of The Artistry, gave us a tour of the cafe area. He explained how the entire kitchen and prep area was switched from one side of a wall to the other. It was a monumental task.
It wasn’t Joe’s first time working with a nonprofit, but it was one of the most meaningful. “You’d walk in during construction and see the stakeholders—the young adults with autism—watching us build. Asking questions. Getting excited.”
They even made him a gift.
“They built a little Galen Construction truck out of art materials,” Joe said, beaming. “Yellow cab, black bed—spot on. It’s still on my desk. That’s the kind of impact this place has.”
Unique Challenges: Small Space, Big Vision, and a Community in the Room
Commercial Contractor, Meylan Construction was able to provide the guidance needed to fit three distinct uses—studio, shop, and café—into a tight retail space. Joe Meylan collaborated with the café vendor to ensure health code compliance, and design visibility into the Makers Market area, and make sure customers could browse comfortably
But the biggest challenge was something else entirely: doing justice to the vision. “You’re not just building walls,” Joe said. “You’re creating a space where people’s lives change. That’s a lot to live up to.”
The Outcome: A Unique Storefront That Sells Products—and Sparks Conversations
Today, Artistry Studios on Fourth Street is more than a market. It’s a showcase of what’s possible when creativity, inclusion, and good design come together.
“They’re selling their products. They’re serving coffee. They’ve even taken over the ice cream shop next door in the evenings,” Joe said. “It’s this rotating rhythm—coffee in the morning, ice cream at night, and art all day.”
Visitors can meet the artists. Parents can see their kids shine. And community members walk away with handmade pieces—and a story to tell.
“It’s one of the best things I’ve ever been a part of,” Joe said. “You walk in there, and you feel good. You feel like Marin got something right.”
