02 May 2024 4 min read

5 things: 3rd places

Let’s talk about 3rd places!

I am in deep getting data on the future of work + small businesses. REAL DEEP. Like I hired a research assistant deep. (more on that very soon!!) As I keep a pulse on the future with all the tech changes on the horizon, it’s easy to get extremely overwhelmed and fearful about what could get lost in the process. Luckily, we have so much more power in shaping what our world looks like going forward than we think we do. Hello, voting with your dollar. I wholeheartedly believe we are in a really cool, albeit shaky, moment in time. I was reading in the comment sections on one of ’s posts1 and she summed it up so perfectly:

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Tectonic plates are shifting. There is A LOT that needs to be shaken off. But it’s also time to prioritize what we wouldn’t want to get thrown off the boat & throw a liferaft around. My life for the past 18 years has revolved around in person experiences. Even when we added Ecomm at Amor, we had a very strong and decisive goal that we weren’t going to let the instore experience slip in the process. Having a place where people can go, have a conversation, ask advice and opinions, have that face to face interaction is something that cannot be replaced online (although we bring those ideals into our online customer connection in many different ways as well!) I love when I can find a word or phrase that captures the essence of abstract feelings swirling in my head, and today we are talking about one of my favorite ones:

As someone who is a boundaries enthusiast and is very particular about I allow to occupy space in my brain, not only do I love 3rd places as an outing and lovely ways to interact with my community, they also are such a brainspace saver.

Allow me to explain via using my top 5 3rd spaces I happily frequent in my own neighborhood:

The Wine Shop: Since living in my neighborhood for 5 years, I have seen this cute space exchange hands 3 times. Fortunately, it’s current owner, Laney, lives in the neighborhood and deeply knows how to curate a 3rd space for it. She has an excellent team that are passionate about good wine, won’t steer you into an overpriced glass just to inflate the check, and they cast no judgment when I say things like “remember that wine that I had with the thing from the place and it was so good?” I don’t have to remember the wine I like because they do! No mulling over the list, no having to think, micromanage. Ah a glass of wine paired with not having to make decisions? My version of heaven.
Out of Hand: entirely to conveniently located next to the wine shop is Out of Hand. OOH is truly a renaissance one stop shop. Clothing, gifts, home, flowers, and my favorite brainspace saver- makeup. I 99% exclusively shop for makeup here. They know so much! They test the colors! It’s all clean beauty and very thoughtfully sourced! Why would I carry the expansive vocabulary of face products in my brain when these lovely people will do it for me? I can save my Tiktok scroll time for more important things like learning about the Drake Shake vs Drake Lake on the voyage to Antartica.
Exhale: My pilates community! I have not had a regular exercise routine since having children until this year. Honestly extreme exercise kind of ruins my day. Reformer pilates is the goldilocks of body work. Not too passive, not so extreme you can’t go to work right after, justttttt right. But it’s not just the workout, which I love and has almost completely alleviated back issues I had after my 2nd child who refused to walk (2020 babies had their own agendas). You get so many recommendations! Everyone is sharing TV recs, restaurants recs, weekend plans. So not only do I get a workout in- I just updated on culture and events! Habit stacking at its finest. Plus the studio was sold 3 years ago and the old owner still teaches and has a great relationship with the new which I just adore (and is so rare & special!)
Elizabeth Stuart: Mainly I am just there to soak up the vibes. It’s a little slice of Provence right in Mount Pleasant. The gardens are the epitome of dreamy. The home furnishings inside? A living breathing vision board. Everything oozes mindful curation that is such a respite from fast commerce of modern day.
Local Jo’s: Speaking of mindful curation, Local Jo’s is the only food store I will shop blindly in. I know if Jo sourced it, she stands by it. You can ask her about any product on it’s only 4 shelves (another respite from the over curations of big food chains). I love trying new CBD drinks and other non alc bevies she finds while we are in the NA exploration season. Since shopping there, my kitchen is never without Mi Nina chips, Aloe juice, and cans Five Flowers.