Fabrik is Building Community in the Age of Loneliness
Creative Changemakers: an interview with Jaclyn & Gwen, the founders of Fabrik
Welcome to our interview series, Creative Changemakers. Every month, we will be speaking to a different business owner who is using creativity as a tool to build community and create change!
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This month, we sat down with Jaclyn Pascocello and Gwen Wiscount, the founders of Fabrik, to talk about the incredible community space they've built to combat loneliness in our increasingly digital world. With 61% of Americans reporting feelings of loneliness, Fabrik's mission couldn't be more timely!
They've created a warm, welcoming "third space" that feels more like a living room than an office, where people can genuinely connect, collaborate, and build community. Whether you're a creative professional looking for connection, an entrepreneur seeking collaboration, or simply someone wanting to be part of a vibrant community, Fabrik offers a unique space where authentic relationships can flourish.
The following is transcribed from an in-person interview between Connie (co-founder of The Creative Directory) and Fabrik's founders, Jaclyn Pascacella and Gwen Wiscon. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
“Within our spaces, you'll see a lot of people with smiles on their face. They're happy to be here. They're happy to meet people.”
Can you tell us about yourselves and what Fabrik is all about?
Jaclyn: Hi, I'm Jaclyn Pascacella, one of the founders of Fabrik. At Fabrik, we create a collection of third spaces through our community as a service platform with the mission to end the loneliness epidemic by bringing people back together in real life.
Gwen: My name's Gwen Wiscon (co-founder of Fabrik). And part of that is that right now, 61% of Americans have raised their hand and said, "I am lonely." And obviously, the remote working and digital screens has capitalized on that as well. So again, these spaces are designed to bring people back together and reconnect in real life again.
What inspired you to build Fabrik?
Jaclyn: The loneliness epidemic was the driving force and factor behind what kind of space this is. We have designed the space to feel more like your living room than your office, and the point of that is so that people feel compelled to have conversations with someone that they might not know, to pick up a book [and read it], or meet someone because they're reading a book. Just do things that are not in your typical day-to-day office environment. I personally was inspired as a new mom to do what I can to make it so that our kids are playing outside and we as adults are playing inside, but also creating these experiences and these connections to bring them into their real lives.
The space definitely has a unique feel to it. Can you tell us more?
Gwen: When you walk into a Fabrik, it kind of looks and feels a little bit different. Number one, there's this welcoming warmth about it. It is a combination of both the space design, but also the members that occupy the space and call Fabrik home. Within our spaces, you'll see a lot of people with smiles on their face. They're happy to be here. They're happy to meet people. About 80% of the space is couches, communal tables, communal spaces to be in conversation versus your independent desks and workspaces.
Where does the name Fabrik come from?
Jaclyn: We believe that connection is the thread [that] takes us from one stage of life to the next. It's the fabric, if you will, of what makes life really interesting. When you kind of think about actual tangible fabric, it really comes in all different shapes and sizes. And I think that's really the identities of the people that make up our community. Everyone is so different. The communities that we all represent are so different. It has lent itself to create a really diverse environment. If you walk in here one day, you might see a female founder gathering. If you walk in here the next day, you might see a sound bath. So it's really just about bringing people together and creating this really beautiful fabric of diversity and connection.
Gwen: [Communities] are the fabric of our relationships, of our world, not only today, but kind of going back in history. There's a recent [documentary called] Join or Die, [which] really highlights that over the years, people belonging to clubs or being part of a community has actually declined and what that's doing to both our mental well-being as well as our physical well-being. So again, Fabrik is trying to kind of be that place, that space for people to find a club, find a home, find community.
What should first-time visitors know about the space?
Gwen: For any first members or even just potential members, guests walking through the doors of Fabrik, you should be prepared for people to ask you, "What's your name? What's one thing about you that you'd like for people to know?" Just again, that openness of conversation. It's something that whether you walk into other spaces, coffee shops, work, a co-working space, a library, those more natural conversations don't happen anymore. And at Fabrik, they do. It's a social space where people want to know who you are. They want to make friends. They want to attend your [next] gathering. It's a really supportive environment, too, where people will attend each other's gatherings, collaborate more, help solve each other's problems, both personally and professionally.
Jaclyn: [You] might make a new friend—or a new business partner!
Thank you Jaclyn, Gwen, and the Fabrik team! To learn more about Fabrik, check out their website, follow them on Instagram, and visit their space in Tribeca.
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Until next time,
Your Creativity Guides 👨🎨
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