Last night I did something amazing. I got down and dirty with art supplies and created a pop-up collage! It’s a small thing really, but my inner child bubbled up with delight as I snipped and glued different pieces of paper together to concoct my creation. The end product resembles an art project from kindergarten. That’s seems appropriate since I was at Five in One ♦ Social Club – aka Kindergarten For Grown Folks.
This little shop at 2535 Broad Ave is hard to miss when you are headed east toward The Cove. It’s huge sign and Chinese red paint is just a hint of the fun energy you can find inside. From funky hand made retail goodies to shelves of well-organized art supplies, there’s no end to the thrilling potential held within those walls. While the shop is open five days a week, the classes are only held at specific times. Regular classes are scheduled Mondays from 6-10pm and Saturdays 2-6pm. There are also special classes held on Sundays from 2-6pm, but those are only scheduled when Five in One has a special teacher that wants to come share a one-of-a-kind crafting experience with the Social Club. The people who get to share the fun at Five in One plan in advance , so you can be sure that you’re surrounded by creative people who want to have a good time.
Until now, I had been eying this location for a few months. I first heard about it from Babak at Ronin down the street. He encouraged me to check out what they do simply because it’s different from anything else in Memphis. I immediately assumed that he was full of shit. I mean, it’s Memphis. How could something so far from center ever find a place among the ruts of this city’s social scene? I also think I was a little scared to try something artsy since I’m not really a visual artist. As it turns out, their most recent promo addresses that issue.
Heeding Frankenstein’s warning, I conquered my fear of the unknown. Intending to start with something safe, I set out for last Monday. Steel Can Luminaries. In my head, tea lights are completely non-threatening. Obviously my survival instincts need calibration because the number of sharp objects and amount of brute force involved in this project is fairly gratuitous. Fortunately, everyone there welcomed me and there was no pressure to do anything unless I wanted to. After all, the first rule of Social Club is… well, be social. The crafts are just a magnificent bonus.
The founders of Five in One Social Club are Michael and Alice. This couple started their Clubhouse project six years ago in the basement of 430 Cleveland. Since then they have gone through many changes, including the new location on Broad. At that time, they were one of the only places getting started in that area. Since then the neighborhood has blossomed into a great destination for art and good times. Alice and Michael have a wonderful synergy that is felt throughout Five in One’s operation. They each manage different aspects of the business while still allowing themselves time to pursue their own creative endeavors. And to make sure nothing falls through the cracks, the official Five in One mascot, Lucy, is ever at attention.
I spent most of the time during Steel Can Luminaries talking to the club members (in-between hammering) and perusing the front where there is a huge variety of consignment gifts and jewelry available. I think my favorite is the jewelry by Funlola Coker (cute specialist) made to resemble food. There are so many other innovative creations I want to go back for. The lovely creations by Everbloom Designs would complete any type of style. Possibly the coolest designs on display were provided by shove•It designs – jewelry made from old skateboards! I also spent a good while wondering at the artistic style of babycreep by nikkila.
The people that hang out at Five in One are just as unique as the gifts. Each person I met had a different story about what drew them to the Social Club. One person was a long-time veteran, attending for 6 years and counting. She even brings her son along to join the fun. Kids 14 and up are welcome to join the “grown folks”, that is if they don’t mind hanging out with their moms (or dads). The age maturity range is a little more flexible, but not by too much. After all, there are a lot of excitingly dangerous toys to play with. Another family connection was made when someone bought a punch cards as a mother’s day gift. Five in One is now something they can do together whenever the mood strikes. The best part is when I showed up as a solo act, these pairs of friends and family didn’t hesitate to make me feel like one of the group. You can’t help but hug people goodbye after just meeting them!
My second trip to the Clubhouse was much more interactive for me. Alice told me the week before how excited she was about Pop-up Books, so of course I had to come back and see it for myself. Fighting back residual apprehension, I arrived right at 1800 ready to learn something new. I was the first to arrive and Alice was still on the computer going over some last minute techniques on pop-up creation. Everything was so clean and organized I was immediately put at ease about my non-craftiness. Just like in kindergarten, I put my full trust in the omnipotence of the teacher.
Before we started our own projects, Alice took about 30 minutes to go over the different types of shapes and folds used to create 3D pages. She also shared a spectacular example of the craft to inspire our creativity. It didn’t take long for me to engage. It was so liberating to be involved in an open-ended activity where my only limit is imagination. I went through a series of trials and errors before I finally settled on an idea. I could have done something really simple and been successful like I did in actual kindergarten. Back then I wanted to get the gold star more than anything. At the Clubhouse there are no gold stars. The reward is the fun of creating. And in my case, the destruction.
I haven’t had that much fun in a long time. There’s something so pure and engaging about making something out of basic supplies. Everyone’s creations were different and we all had a great time making them. I can’t get over how much sheer joy I derived from cutting and pasting for over 3 hours. I would have kept going if Michael didn’t kick us out at 2200. I was looking at the upcoming schedule before I got in the car to go home. It was a very satisfying experience for my inner child. Probably therapeutic for my inner adult too.
My schedule will keep me busy until September but you can be sure I’ll be there next month learning how to do something new and entertaining. And you can be sure I’ll attended the next pop-up books class – eventually I’ll get that book finished! Just a few of the upcoming classes that look like fun are Luchador Masks, Stained Glass Suncatchers, and of course Zombie Make-up right before Halloween. Go ahead and choose one. I promise, it’s something you will enjoy.