Celebrating the Third Place: Inspiring Stories About the Great Good Places at the Heart of Our Communities

The best third places are locally owned, independent, small-scale, steady-state business,

As the figureheads and persons in charge, we set the emotional tone and interactive parameters.

“Our culture has been changed significantly by the automobile, allowing people to live far from their communities; and to a lesser extent by zoning laws and building codes that have emptied our downtowns of residents.

The chess set is very symbolic in that it shows the community that they can feel comfortable in coming to Crossroads just to hang out, and they don’t have to spend money to be welcome.

We are unpretentious and warm, playful and upbeat. We know our customers and care about them.

Learning to succeed at something—whether it is flower arranging or seed starting—gives confidence. This confidence spills into other parts of our lives.

The atmosphere, both physical and social, is the trickiest and most essential part of creating a warm and welcoming third place. Both need constant attention and periodic tweaking. Both show signs of neglect and fatigue immediately

Annie’s signs are community bulletin board, political soapbox, Zen center, pun-of-the-week poster, and awards banquet rolled into one.

Through the chess set, free entertainment, a magazine stand, and a variety of community events, we make a conscious effort to send out the message to our customers that they are welcome.