Where Do We Gather Now?
When public spaces disappear, creative spaces rise.
“When the world feels unstable, we create anchors.”
Libraries are shuttering. Community centers are downsizing. Coffee shops no longer want you to linger. It feels like the places we used to lean on to feel seen, grounded, or just not alone—are disappearing. And with them, our sense of belonging.
But humans are inherently creative, and we’re incredibly good at adapting. When gathering halls close, we gather around kitchen tables. When big systems fail, we turn to small, sacred spaces. We make room for each other—in basements, on porches, in shared studios—wherever we can. And right now, more than ever, we need those rooms.
“We may not control the world—but we can create what lives inside of it.”
So much feels beyond our reach right now. The economy. The headlines. The political noise. It’s easy to get swept up in the chaos and forget we have tools right in front of us—paintbrushes, glue guns, carving knives, threads—that can tether us back to ourselves.
Craft is more than a hobby. It’s a way of saying, I’m here. This matters. I made this with my hands.
And when we do it together, it becomes more than personal expression—it becomes collective healing.
We gather not just to create, but to remember who we are.
At Parlor 1776, we’re building something that can’t be outsourced, digitized, or replaced: a space to belong.
Here, your art matters. Your story matters. Whether you're seasoned or just getting started, you’re part of a community that values making as a form of resistance, restoration, and remembrance.
Because when systems fail, people don’t. We show up. We create. We share.
And slowly—stitch by stitch, print by print—we rebuild what we thought we lost.
We’re not just making things. We’re making a way forward.
Let this be the answer to what feels missing. A chair pulled up at the table. A space to exhale.
And the beautiful truth: you’re not doing it alone.