How coffee on a stoop built community in the Mission
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Stoop hanging with neighbors. Photo: Courtesy of Patty Smith
A casual stoop hang for two longtime San Francisco residents has grown into a modern-day neighborhood square where community thrives.
The big picture: It started small two years ago for tech workers Patty Smith and Tyler Hoffman, who aimed to ease the isolation of remote work and get to know their neighbors. They'd have their morning coffee out on their stoop in the Mission, greeting passersby and even donning goofy hats as a neighborly icebreaker.
Initially, Smith said she expected to make maybe one or two new friends.
- "In my mind at the time, success to me was just, 'oh, it would be great to know people's names,'" she told Axios.
But their casual routine caught on with others and grew into a full-blown community, where dozens of neighbors regularly gather to discuss everything from work and relationships to hobbies and organizing more meetups.
- Their WhatsApp group sports more than 200 members, which they've used to plan BBQs, a pancake block party that drew 70 people and rotating events like watch parties, movie nights, dip-themed potlucks and parent hangs.
- "Some of the coolest people we've met are the people that live next door… multi-generational, different stages of life, working different industries," Smith said.
Between the lines: Smith never imagined that such a small effort would turn into one of her most enriching experiences.
- Today, she calls many of her neighbors friends and sees them on a daily basis. Living in close proximity means sharing weeknight dinners, hosting kids play dates and even finding last-minute babysitting help.
- "A lot of people discount their neighbors as places to find community," Smith said. "But in fact, it's even more powerful to connect with neighbors because of the proximity and spontaneity."
What's next: Smith and Hoffman, who have lived in the city for more than 10 years and are expecting their second child, are eager to expand their effort by sharing the stoop coffee model with others who want to replicate it.
- Smith was recently invited to speak at a "neighborhood accelerator" program that coaches people on how to build hyperlocal community, and Hoffman is mentoring for Good Neighbor Week this fall— a citywide push to highlight and support local community efforts.
- "I want everyone to be living this experience," Smith said. "The world would be a much better place if we were all living more communally, especially with the people in our hyper local neighborhoods."
- "This is our forever home," she added. "We're really putting roots here."