Thursdays Are Now DIY Night at The Neighborhood Refuge, and I'm Going Anyway

Every Thursday from 7 to 9, the Refuge sets out a simple craft, you grab a cocktail, and everybody makes something mildly adorable while catching up. Crafting skill not required. I would know.

Let me be upfront: I am not a crafty person. On my last trip to Colorado with my three best friends since sixth grade, they shipped boxes ahead of us. Beads. Markers. Patches. Bags. Wire. So much wire. Every single day they sat around the table making things, and every single day I sat on the couch with my laptop while Lawtubers broke down the latest trial. My crafting is building websites and arguing with code until it behaves. My one contribution to the week was gluing some gems onto a rock. So I made a pretty rock. That was it. That was the whole portfolio.

Which is exactly why I'm telling you about this one. If The Neighborhood Refuge can get me to a craft table, it can get anybody.

So what is DIY Night?

I talked with Renee Serface, who owns the Refuge, and the idea is refreshingly simple. Every Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m., there's a do-it-yourself craft laid out and ready to go. You come in, order a cocktail or some food, sit down, and make the thing. Nothing complicated, nothing that requires a Pinterest board or a steady hand. Just easy projects that give your hands something to do while you hang out and talk.

It's less "craft class" and more "excuse to see your people on a weeknight." Which, honestly, is the best kind of excuse.

What's on the table

Tonight's kickoff project is pipe cleaner pumpkins, which feels like the correct way to open a season that is about to be very, very orange. Next Thursday, October 8, it's diamond art. After that, it rotates. Renee says some weeks could be adult coloring, and the Refuge's own event listing mentions painting and friendship bracelets as fair game too. Basically, if it can be done in a couple of hours with a drink in your other hand, it's in the running.

The rotating lineup is the smart part. You don't have to commit to a whole season of anything. See a project you like on their feed, show up that week. Skip the one that sounds like too much glitter. Nobody's taking attendance.

Why this works, even for non-crafters

Here's what I figured out sitting on that couch in Colorado: the crafting was never really the point. The point was four women who've known each other since sixth grade sitting around a table talking for hours. The beads were just the thing that kept everyone in the same room.

That's what the Refuge is going for. It's a weeknight thing to do that isn't another dinner where everyone checks their phone. Bring a friend you keep saying you need to catch up with. Bring your book club and give them something to do besides not reading the book. Come solo and end up chatting with the person next to you over who has the worst-looking pumpkin. (It will be me. I've already accepted it.)

And if you've never been inside the Refuge, this is a pretty low-stakes way to see it. It's a beautifully renovated historic church on South Main with a cocktail program that takes itself seriously and a kitchen that does too. Watching people make pipe cleaner pumpkins under those ceilings is a very Ridgefield sentence, and I'm here for it.

Quick questions

Do I need to know how to craft?

No. The projects are chosen to be easy. If I can make a pretty rock, you can make a pipe cleaner pumpkin.

Is it free?

Opening night is free. Some future weeks may have a small charge for materials, and the Refuge will post that ahead of time on social.

Can I bring my kids?

The Neighborhood Refuge is a cocktail bar, so plan on this being a grown-ups night. If you have questions about age policy, check with the Refuge directly.

How do I find out what next week's craft is?

Follow The Neighborhood Refuge on social media. They'll post each week's project there, along with any cost.