In Ray Oldenburg's book The Great, Good Place, he wrote about the power of informal, common places like pubs and taverns where everyone in the community is welcomed. Oldenburg saw these places as vital to communities, providing a simple way for people to connect to and understand each other. His celebration of the 'third place' -- not home or workplace, but 'our' place -- captured the imagination of many Americans, including Ron Sher, owner of Third Place Books.

When Sher considered opening a bookstore in a tired, underutilized Lake Forest Park mall, he envisioned a space that would invite readers to linger over a cup of coffee or a meal. A place where neighbors would see each other often, where people could drop by and be "at home" in a public space. He leased most of the mall's top floor and sublet space to several local restaurants, including the HoneyBear Bakery, a much loved Seattle institution that was being forced out of its neighborhood location. A large open area remained, and it was filled with tables and chairs, extra comfortable places to sit, a giant chessboard and a stage.

Third Place Books opened in November 1998, but it was difficult to convince mall merchants to help support the community gathering space as they do in Ron's Crossroads Mall development. He decided to see if the community valued the new community center enough to get involved and support it, and offered to donate the Commons area and stage to a nonprofit organization if it would fund and manage the space.

Friends of Third Place Commons was formed in the fall of 1999, and it has been managing the community center since then. The new organization envisioned a unique indoor "urban park" and invited the community to tell it how the space should be used.

The Commons is a resounding success, and Friends has hired a part-time Director to keep the space running smoothly. She keeps the calendar is full of interesting events and programs, including preschool play groups, senior dances, teen activities, school choir and band concerts, play previews, improvisational theater, storytelling, public forums, and community conversations. Nonprofits and social service agencies hold resource fairs, health screenings, connecting with people close to where they live and play.

Families and friends now meet to visit and play games, sports teams have signups and hold victory parties, clubs hold meetings, people and students work at laptops, local artists and musicians -- professional and amateur-- fill the place with music and exhibit their work. The Commons has become a low-cost weekend destination for families with young children, students and seniors.

Third Place Books provides free author readings, live music on Friday and Saturday nights, and offers discounts to book clubs. It also pays for lights, heat and maintenance, and lends Friends its expert setup crew and awesome lighting and sound technicians, a huge, invaluable in-kind donation.

A new branch campus of Shoreline Community College at Lake Forest Park, now connects to the Commons, and local high school and college students now use the large tables to study and meet. The college offers regular classes and top-flight technology education opportunities. To request a Shoreline Community College at Lake Forest Park Schedule listing current course offerings, please call 206-306-1101.

In 2003, the Lake Forest Park branch of the King County Library Service (located on the lower floor of the mall) agreed to offer wireless Internet access throughout the Commons. In a community that does not have equal access to high-speed Internet, residents can now work from a "home away from home" at the Commons.

Seattle Times' Pacific Northwest magazine profiled Ron Sher in an article in early November, 2003: "Community Builder: In Ron Sher's 'third places',
people come first."

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