We’re more connected than ever thanks to today’s modern technology. But despite how many followers you may have on social media, why does making friends feel so hard these days? In a major city like Philly, shouldn’t it be easy to go out and meet people?
It’s time to close Bumble BFF and join Let Me Know Club. The local hobby group founded in 2024 is helping people get social over shared interests like crafts. The name is inspired by friends saying “let me know what you’re doing” or “let me know if you want to hang out” – so instead of leaving the invitation hanging, they’re directly giving you an invite.
Let Me Know Club originally wasn’t supposed to exist. Founder and New Jersey resident Monique Means participated in an entrepreneurial training program at a Philly yoga studio in the hopes of founding her own studio, but it turned out she had another calling.
“I realized that I just wanted a community space, and so at the time, my goal was to get people to come together and make friends,” Means said.
Pushing Back Against the ‘Loneliness Epidemic’
In 2023, then-U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy wrote a letter highlighting America’s loneliness problem, one that existed well before the COVID-19 pandemic. Murthy cited studies showing that half of all adults in the United States reported experiencing loneliness. The advisory went on to state that lacking social connection is as dangerous as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
“I kept hearing about this loneliness epidemic and how after the pandemic, people were really struggling to make friends and meet people,” Means said, pointing to social media as a contributing factor. “You can build relationships online, but I think people struggle with other people in real life.”
So-called third spaces – places beyond the home and work – have been talked about as a potential solution to this loneliness epidemic, but a physical space can only do so much.
“If you don’t create the infrastructure for people to communicate with one another, then they’re really not going to do it,” Means said. “You could have an amazing coffee shop. [But] most of the time people are there by themselves.”
While crafts like junk journaling have been popular, Let Me Know Club attendees have also participated in embroidery and flower arrangement workshops. (Courtesy of Monique Means)
Encouraging Others To Break Out of Their Shell, One Craft at a Time
So how does one inspire others to lift their eyes from their screens and start talking with those around them?
Let Me Know Club’s events are typically kept at a 25-person cap to keep the setting intimate enough to make conversation. Describing Philly as “the city that likes to sleep,” events are hosted early in the day or evening. Craft activities such as paint-and-sip, crocheting, charm-making, and junk-journaling have been bringing people in. The intention is to create a fun environment where you’re not forced to communicate but can engage with each other through art and parallel play.
“As adults, I don't think that we get enough play in our life,” Means said. “Adults, especially with work and grind culture, we need those spaces to play.”
Arts-and-crafts have been having a moment lately. And for Means, art is both an act of political resistance and joy.
“Crafting is having such a big moment right now because of the political landscape, and also the nature of where we're at in the world. With the rise of AI art coming out of a pandemic, I think people are looking for something that's tactile and that feels real,” Means said.
“In a world where we are not sure what's going to happen next, [there] is a level of uncertainty. We feel as though our voices are being erased, especially as marginalized communities, and so I think that crafting and creating something with your hands is a way to weave your identity, weave your voice into something that feels very real.”
For Valentine’s Day, Let Me Know Club hosted a sold-out Pal-entine’s speed dating event to foster new friendships. It has organized service projects like making kindness bags for people experiencing homelessness. They’ve done cake decorating and plan on having karaoke nights.
Staying Connected When the Party’s Over
While Let Me Know Club encourages offline connections, they don’t completely forgo social media. The club uses the group chat app Geneva to keep conversations going, and members have shared their own activities that aren’t organized by Let Me Know Club. That has created a network of friendships and connections beyond the organization itself.
Want to join the club? Keep an eye on Let Me Know Club’s community board for future events.
