If you’ve driven through Columbia’s North Village Arts District lately, you may have noticed something new taking shape at 1004 Artist Alley. Three sisters — Amber Casteel, Emily Gard, and Danielle DeYoung — are opening Third Space, a community-focused creative space built around a simple idea: everybody needs somewhere to make things with their hands that isn’t home and isn’t work, according to Inside Columbia.
“You have home and you have work, but there aren’t always many places where you can show up, make something with your hands, meet somebody new, and not feel like you have to be particularly good at anything,” one of the founders told Inside Columbia.
That’s the whole pitch, really. Third Space isn’t a gallery you look at or a shop you buy from — it’s a room set up for people to sit down together and make something, whether that’s their first time holding a paintbrush or their hundredth.
The soft opening is set for Friday, September 4, from 6 to 9 p.m., timed to Columbia’s First Friday gallery walk. The plan for that night is low-pressure: come see the space, make a free craft, grab a drink and a light bite, and meet the sisters running it. No sign-up, no skill required — just show up.
Once the doors are open for good, Third Space plans a rotating lineup of hands-on workshops — decoupage lanterns, block printing, junk journaling, and more are already on the schedule, per Inside Columbia’s reporting. The space is self-funded by the three founders, and they’re building it with free community programming alongside sliding-scale and “community ticket” options for the paid classes, so cost doesn’t have to be the thing that keeps someone out.
North Village Arts District has been building out as one of Columbia’s more interesting pockets over the past few years — a walkable stretch of studios, galleries, and small makers a short drive from Rocheport. A new space explicitly built for beginners and drop-ins, rather than working artists only, fills a real gap there. If you’ve been curious about the district but never felt like you had a reason to stop, First Friday, September 4, is as good a reason as any.