The Twin Cities' hottest club is a craft group
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:Dabble's Bedazzle Bar at Graze Food Hall by Travail. Photo: Queer Family Portraits, Liam James Photo, Courtney Deutz
Want to bedazzle a romance novel, "junk journal," try fiber arts or crochet side-by-side in silence? In the Twin Cities, there's a space for that.
The big picture: Craft nights are growing in popularity across the metro, particularly among Gen Z and millennials, as Minnesotans seek out new ways to meet people and evening activities that don't involve alcohol.
State of play: In the last year, groups or meeting spaces have popped up for nearly every craft imaginable, from perfume-making at Minneapolis' walk-in craft workshop Craftopia to bedazzling prescription bottles at a :Dabble event.
- Many meetups are free, casual hangouts where attendees bring the craft they're working on, while others like :Dabble offer a variety of pre-prepared kits between $5 to $20, owner Rachel Skipper said.
- Event attendance often averages between 30 and 70 people, and while age can vary depending on the craft, a large percentage of attendees are under 35, several organizers told Axios.
What they're saying: These craft nights can serve as a third place — communal gathering spots unrelated to work or home — as they are "social, yet introvert-friendly," said Angie Lee, whose Uptown shop Moona Moono is hosting nine craft-related events in June alone.
- "We've found there are a lot of people who want to meet others, but don't have an easy way to do it. If you're working on projects together, that's an easy conversation starter," Lee said.
Between the lines: Craft nights are also becoming a staple at local LGBTQ+ community spaces, with groups like Crafty Queers Club, Quatrefoil's "Queer Threads," and Queermunity's "Knit Happens" meeting at least twice a month.
- "I've found a lot of fellow people in the queer community are looking for ways to meet people other than nightlife," said Claire Donovan, who founded their junk journal club Scrap and Yap to serve as an LGBTQ-focused third space.
What's next: This weekend marks the first meetup of The World's Largest Craft Club, where groups across seven countries hold crafty events June 27-28.
- Donovan will lead the Twin Cities' meetup, which will focus on junk journaling and collages, this Sunday at Bde Maka Ska.