The Third Place: Rekindling the space between us

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Picture this: the low hum of conversation, the clinking of mugs or glasses, the easy laughter of people who may not know each other well – but who share moments all the same. Maybe it’s a local tavern, a neighborhood park, or a corner coffee shop.

That’s the magic of the third place – where stories and small talk become the threadwork of community.

We’ve been thinking a lot about those spaces lately. In a time of rapid growth, endless digital notifications, and busy schedules, we find ourselves yearning for these simple, grounding places – where people can slow down, connect, and simply be.

Sociologist Ray Oldenburg gave these places their name in his 1989 book The Great Good Place. Home, he said, is the first place – our refuge. Work is the second – where we hold roles and follow routines. The third places are where conversation, curiosity, and connection unfold naturally. It’s where hierarchy dissolves and human connection returns. It is where we build community.

The paradox of connection

Here in St. Petersburg, our city is vibrant and growing, with more than 270,000 residents – and thousands more – moving here each year. The downtown skyline is transforming, neighborhoods are becoming denser, and the pace of life is no longer one of a sleepy Florida retirement community.

But here’s the paradox: in spite of all the people, all the events, all the opportunities to network, many still feel invisible and alone. We shake hands at networking events, share posts on social media, and collect digital friends – yet so often, those interactions remain transactional rather than transformational.

A transactional link says, Can I find you on LinkedIn? A transformational connection says, I want to know you. I care about you. My life is changed by your presence.

We crave those deeper relationships. And yet, in many instances, they are absent from our lives.

In 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General declared loneliness and isolation an “epidemic,” warning of its growing impact on our health. That same year, the World Health Organization named loneliness a global public health concern. Polls suggest that nearly one in three adults feels lonely every week – and one in 10 feels lonely every day. These are staggering numbers.

Even in a city as social and scenic as ours, isolation and loneliness can quietly take root in the spaces between us.

Why The Third Place matters

Third places act as a social antidote to isolation and loneliness. In a true third place – whether it’s a brewery, yoga class, or dog park – titles and status melt away. People gather as equals, conversations flow, and empathy grows. These spaces nurture civic life by giving neighbors and strangers alike the chance to encounter one another in genuine, unscripted ways.

Think about your favorite local coffee shop, the neighborhood farmer’s markets or a park bench under a tree. These aren’t just places to pass time – they’re the connective tissue of a healthy city.

But as rents climb, familiar hangouts disappear, life online expands, and friends are merely digital counts, our physical and emotional architecture of community has started to crumble. The cost of losing these shared places is measured not just in civic disengagement but in the quiet ache of disconnection and thundering roar of social division.

Why now? Why us?

We founded The Third Place LLC because we believe belonging is a necessity. Together, we bring more than 50 years of experience in community building – as facilitators, educators, program designers, and civic connectors. We’ve seen how dialogue and intentional design can bring people together across divides of ideology, race, class, or age.

This moment – locally and globally – calls for something new. We are more connected than ever, yet lonelier than ever. We have access to countless opinions, yet fewer opportunities for understanding. We have plenty of events, but not enough places where we gather and conversations lead to empathy, curiosity, and trust.

That’s where The Third Place LLC comes in.

What we’re creating

Our mission is simple: Conversations. Connections. Community.

 We are cultivating places – physical and psychological – that invite people to engage across difference. Some of these efforts will look like “Opposites Attract,” a topical debate series where people explore opposing viewpoints with curiosity, not combat. We’ll be hosting the first in this series Nov. 10 at Bayboro Brewing. Others will take shape as Parlor Pop-Ups – where we will bring the spirit of old-world salons into modern community spaces – small gatherings designed for deep dialogue, curiosity and connection. Hosted in living rooms, cafés, and cultural spaces, each pop-up invites guests to slow down, listen deeply and rediscover the art of conversation.

We’ll also amplify existing third places around St. Pete by featuring local businesses, parks, and creative hubs that already foster connection. Through interviews, a radio show, and stories in local and social media, we’ll shine a light on the people and places tending the flame of community.

And we’re working with organizations – from nonprofits to small businesses to city agencies – to help them move beyond being transactional locations or workplaces, to become true third places where people feel seen, valued and connected.

Stay tuned

We believe that third places – whether a bar, park, library, or café – are the heartbeats of community life. Going forward, this column will elevate the third places that do exist in St.

Petersburg and beyond. We’ll explore the research on connection and ideas for building a strong sense of community.

To learn more, visit thethirdplacellc.com or reach us at connect@thethirdplacellc.com. Join us as we reimagine the social geography of our city – one conversation, one connection, one third place at a time.