Creating space for community

The heart and soul of Philo Collective is “to create space.” In fact, our full mission statement says that our purpose is “to create space for doers, movers, creators and connectors” — a list that includes everyone!

Practically speaking what that boils down to is a goal of engaging and stimulating our community to foster more fellowship, kindness, creativity and joy in the area. The community we live and work in is awesome and there are so many people already at work doing incredible things, on personal and professional levels.

One of my favorite things about Philo Collective is the relationships I’ve built with a diverse network of neighbors who are contributing their talents and skills in a myriad of ways. In addition to supporting and interacting with established business and organizations, it has been awesome to also build and strengthen new relationships. Whether it is regular macaron customers at the Farmers’ Market, new friends who attend our workshops, faithful yogis who show up to class each week or simply strangers who ask me about my Philo sweatshirt, having conversations that go beyond pleasantries brings me so much joy.

Running a small business can be tough and emotionally draining, but these types of exchanges are always so energizing and fruitful, and usually inspire me to have a new idea for how to connect with more people. It has been really gratifying to encourage others to do something new like attempt eight-angle pose or use acrylic paint for the first time. Talk about a cycle of positivity!

Creating space for community is an ethos that we really seek to embody at Philo Collective and by extension, to stimulate in other people. Taking the time to create space for community doesn’t have to be hard, complicated or expensive. It could be showing up to work early to make coffee for your coworkers, taking care of a loved one, donating time and/or resources to support a cause or group you’re passionate about, waving at your neighbor as you drive down the road, or asking your cashier about their day. Regardless of the action, the intention should always be to make sure people feel seen, heard and loved.

As a business, we structure our events with personalized elements to demonstrate that we are excitedly expecting our guests. We prioritize patronizing other vendors at the market to support other small, local businesses. We do our best to remember the favorite items of our repeat customers to ensure that we have enough treats in stock. None of these operations are hard or strenuous, but they are all effective at building trust and respect among our peers and friends.

Our big dream at Philo Collective is to have a physical space that will include multiple multi-use spaces for a specialty bakery (so you don’t have to wait for Saturdays to get your pizzelle fix), café, yoga studio, flower shop, event venue and more. The building will serve as a connecting ground for friends, colleagues, families and acquaintances to create their own “spaces for community” through activities like sharing a meaningful conversation over a cup of coffee or simply spending time together doing a yoga flow.

We are working toward that big, audacious goal, but for now we’ll continue finding ways to connect with you at our Farmers’ Market booth, doing yoga, hosting events (don’t miss our Sept. 18 flower arranging workshop!) and hanging around town in our Philo Collective gear.

If you are thriving, the whole community benefits Let’s all create more space for each other!

We want to fill your cup in some capacity so that you are better prepared to go love on others. Have an idea for how Philo Collective can continue serving you or your community network? Leave a comment below or email us at hello@philocollective.com!