Third Space Smithfield was set up for people to have a space that was not living space, not working space, but a Third Space.
It opened its doors in 2012 and has since replicated its business model in the YMCA building on Aungier Street.
It is a social business venture to open and run eating and meeting places in the areas of Dublin that lack community hubs. With a simple and great menu and an informal friendly environment, they offer a creative buzz that connects into the varied life of a modern Dublin neighbourhood.
The Gift of Space can have a lasting impact. One customer wrote on Twitter: “I was going to leave Smithfield when my lease was up but Third Space has changed my mind”. The gift of space can make that difference. In a city where life can get crowded, pressured, and hurried – a little bit of space can make a lot of difference.
The following initiatives are among its varied product offering:
- The Square Meal: A monthly event on the last Friday. Anyone who lives/works in the area is invited to come and eat together – different food theme monthly. You meet someone new and are encouraged to chat to people sitting near you. You pay whatever you think the meal is worth at the end of the evening.
- Socrates Café: A monthly gathering where the place is filled after hours and people discuss a specific question. Though living in a very sectioned society, people check the baggage, grab the coffee, sit down and maybe for the first time are confronted with someone whose worldview and life experience is different from anything that they’ve come face to face with.
The group accessed investment from Community Finance (Ireland) to assist with Cash Flow, replace personal volunteer loans, and fund capital upgrades for additional storage to meet the needs of their physical expansion to the unit on Aungier St.