We help communities and entrepreneurs surface what they already have — starting with the Third Place Filter, a practical framework for turning storefronts into places people can't stay away from.
Most economic development strategy imports outside solutions. We start from the opposite instinct — surface what a place already has, then build from there.
Four questions to evaluate and activate any space's potential to become a community anchor — developed and tested at Haven Coffee & Goods in downtown Maryville, Missouri.
I rebuilt a traditional boutique in downtown Maryville into Haven — a modern mercantile and coffee bar designed from the ground up as a community gathering space. It's not a case study I read about. It's the working lab where The Found Project's methodology gets tested first, on my own storefront.
Three depths of engagement, from a single afternoon to an ongoing partnership.
Bring the Third Place Filter to your conference, chamber, or Main Street program — an interactive session, scaled to your room and time slot.
A single sessionA half- or full-day, on-site look at a specific building or downtown district using the Filter framework — a working conversation, not a shelf report.
One engagementA continued partnership with a downtown organization or Main Street program as you activate and grow your third places over time.
A standing relationshipGet the free Third Place Filter worksheet — the same one used in the live workshop — and a short note when new speaking dates open up.
One page. Four questions. Bring your own building.