It wasn’t hard to spot them at the On Tap section of the Whole Foods in Columbus Circle. Two ladies, of different generations and backgrounds, were happily chatting as their hands worked. The purple patterned balls of yarn sat on the table, their constant companions, as cozy socks formed at the other end of their furious needles.
I approached the table and asked if they were the Meetup group, Pints ‘n’ Purls. They brightly welcomed me and I settled in, feeling slightly out of place without my own ball of yarn. Immediately, a lovely woman by the name of Judy asked me what I was working on. I explained that I was there to discover the ingredients for a really successful Meetup group, as Melissa and Tom have also been doing.
An hour and a half later, I was saying goodbye to the whole table. I felt I had known these women for years. It no longer mattered that I hadn’t been knitting, we chatted and laughed as fast friends would.
During my lovely evening with Pints ‘n’ Purls, I learned so much about what it takes to build a community that keeps coming back.
The biggest lesson I learned is that great Meetup leaders don’t try to keep all the control.
They are happy to let members give feedback and then act on it, or even let the members run their own Meetups. Deborah, the lovely owner of the group, explained that she doesn’t need to be at every event because the long-standing members are more than capable to run a group themselves.
Judy mentioned how other Meetups similar to Pints ‘n’ Purls just don’t do it as well. The biggest reason? She felt the most valued in the Pints ‘n’ Purls community. She had made friends there, too, that she sees outside of the official Meetup times.
I watched as they chattered about knitting patterns, the website Ravelry (social media for knitters), and types of yarn. I didn’t understand all the terminology, but I understood that they had real bonds with each other. They shared a culture within the group, and as a result also shared their stories, and very real friendships.
So, if you knit, and live in NYC, check out Pints ‘n’ Purls. I might be at that table some day, as soon as I take up knitting. (No, seriously, I am considering it.)
