Visit The Village by Brandywine Concierge in Chadds Ford

🎶 You got a friend in me. 🎶

It takes a village, am I right? We’ve all said this a thousand times. We coordinate with friends and family to create our own villages. But Allie Mazza of Kennett Square took the promise of a village one step further and created a physical home for The Village in our own community.

What is The Village by Brandywine Concierge?

The Village is an intimate community center concept, a bit like a play space, but for “intergenerational gathering meets co-working/co-parenting space meets friendship” events. 🫶🏻

“Our mission is provide a space and community that learns from and leans on each other through fostering collaboration and strengthening connection.” (The Village)

In my own words, The Village is a physical space where people in the community can connect to build a network of mutual support and resilience, especially across generations. In a world that’s become so consumed with individualism, “what’s in it for me?” and “how will I ever get this all done on my own?” Allie hopes The Village is a space that counters that narrative and reminds us that connected resilience and community are much stronger and more sustainable.

Friends, we desperately need more of this vibe! 🥰

Allie spent more than a decade working in various capacities in the senior services industry. Her experience gave her an intimate understanding of the benefits of fostering community, especially across generations. As a mom, she understands the need for support from other moms and neighbors to help us all raise the children in our village and be our best selves.

Bridging these roles, she sees significant opportunities for older and younger people to come together, share skills, help care for children (even if they aren’t our own), and explore what we can achieve when we work together rather than always feeling we must navigate uncharted territory on our own.

On February 1st, Allie opened her new space in Chadds Ford, which includes comfy meeting spaces, a playroom, tables for activities like games and crafts, and a cozy room to get a bit of work done while a friend or neighbor helps with childcare.

Meeting up at The Village community space

In a world sorely bereft of third spaces, The Village reimagines one and brings to life Allie’s vision of a mutually beneficial community meetup space. “Third spaces,” public places to hang out other than home and work, are hard to find these days, especially without breaking the bank.

Libraries are our most ubiquitous third spaces and serve immensely important purposes. Parks and playgrounds are also great places to convene for free, when the weather is right.

The Village creates a third space with a bit more intention. Allie offers unique programming and gives people a reason to show up together. She designed the physical spaces to address unmet needs in community care that our current “third spaces” can’t meet.

The Village just opened last week, and Allie is ready to let this newborn project grow organically as community needs arise. Initial programming includes:

• Monthly book club
• Mah Jong meetups
• Community crafting hours
• Service club
• Mother’s hour
• Board game time
• Admin nights
• Understanding insurance events
• And more

Activities and events in the community

She also intends to host events away from the central location in places around the community:

• Children visiting senior living centers
• Herr’s Factory field trip
• Scavenger hunts
• BINGO night
• And more

Side note: Chadds Ford Live wrote up a nice story about Allie and the genesis of The Village if you’re looking to learn more.

How much does it cost?

Membership starts at $20 per month. But a little bird (who goes by the name of Allie and owns the joint 😉) told me that she offers free membership if you lead a monthly meet-up group (like a book club). It’s a very affordable way to be in community with our neighbors, especially those of different ages.

Check out The Village by Brandywine Concierge

Stop by and check out the new space. It’s located at 1598 Baltimore Pike, Chadds Ford, PA 19317 (in the office building between the township building and the post office). Sign up for one of their events and bring a friend. I’m excited to see how it grows roots and spreads its branches in Chadds Ford!