Help The Soapbox Move to Baltimore Ave

If you're here, you may already know what we do. Since 2011, The Soapbox has provided access to printmaking, book arts, and self-publishing for a diverse and multigenerational community of artists, students, educators, and neighbors in Southwest Philadelphia and across the city.

We are moving into a new space! We are renovating a former auto body shop at 4542 Baltimore Avenue into a permanent community arts center dedicated to printmaking and book arts.  

Help us move! While The Soapbox's ongoing programs and earned income continue to support our regular operating expenses, renovation costs for the new space have exceeded our original projections. The construction will cost $120k. We are grateful to have received $30k in grants and an amazing $60k from individual supporters like you, but we still need to raise another $15k by October to complete the renovation and relocation.

The Soapbox: Community Print Shop & Zine Library

The Soapbox is a West Philadelphia-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit community arts studio that offers specialized tools, equipment, and education in book and paper arts, publishing, and printmaking. We provide an accessible, welcoming space where artists, writers, neighbors, students, and community organizations can work alongside one another, share knowledge, develop new skills, bring creative ideas to life, and build meaningful connections.

In late 2025, we were notified that our lease at 4700 Kingsessing Avenue would end in 2026 with no option for renewal, as the space is being redeveloped. In December 2025, we signed a 10-year lease on a former auto body shop at 4542 Baltimore Avenue and began to transform the space into a permanent community arts center. At 7,000 square feet, the new facility will double the size of our shared studio space for community practice and education in letterpress printing, screen printing, risography, and papermaking. We will also double the number of private rentable studios and have space for an expanded public library and a multipurpose gallery. The renovated building will be fully ADA-compliant and is centrally located with convenient access to public transportation. This new space will enable us to better meet the needs of our constituents, expand opportunities for creative expression, and provide greater access to the artistic resources that serve our neighbors throughout Southwest Philadelphia.

The Soapbox is volunteer-powered and collaboratively run. This is all only possible thanks to our vibrant community of members, fellows, friends, and supporters like you. Donations of any size mean the world. Please make a tax-deductible donation today to support The Soapbox in this urgent time. We thank you so deeply for supporting DIY printing and publishing in West Philly.