Do you have a third place?
Consider the last place you invited a colleague or customer to meet outside of your offices. Did you recommend a local business like a small restaurant, coffee shop, or craft brewery? These interesting locations to connect are the third places that can support economic and social growth in our communities.
"Third place" is a term coined by sociologist Ray Oldenburg, referring to the places residents spend time between home (first) and work (second). Urban planners have long told the critical role that “third places” can play in building a sense of community.
“We need more gathering places. We need places where people can come together and find common ground with one another that maybe are not selecting those places. That we see all the time people come to visit here from the city, sitting next to locals, having conversations about things that they never would have had if they were simply on Facebook or online or whatever. And having real empathy for one another,” writes Paul Cloutier of the Brookings Institute
Niche third places
When considering your cities' and towns' third places, don’t forget the niche hobbies and interests. When Georgia Power's Regional Economic Development team visited Tifton for an update on CREATE, we learned of a unique third place – the comic book store.
Gray Ghost Comics is Tifton’s headquarters for new comics, cards, toys, and more; additionally, they host events for card games and artists. Since they opened in 2019, owners Scott Beasley and Andrew Elder, have seen their shop overflowing with local visitors and guests driving in from neighboring cities and states.
Scott shared in our interview that the local chamber and development authority have supported their growth by promoting their events and brokering introductions like the one that brought our team to their shop.
The partners have already expanded once and are considering an event larger location to support the demand.
Thanks to the community they've established, the new location will certainly be somewhere in Tift County, said Scott, “I was born and raises here, and Tifton means a lot to me. It’s a small town and everybody looks out for each other.”
Explore the South Region
The South Region of Georgia is home to Tifton and many other main street gems and industry. Learn more about the growth and opportunities in the south from long-term resident and Regional Economic Development Manager, Scott Purvis.
