PORT ANGELES — Imagine if Port Angeles had a place that served as an incubator of ideas, a launching ground for different ventures, an all-ages friendly hangout space and a place to form lasting community connections.
Spoiler: it does.
Located downtown at the intersection of Lincoln and Front streets, The Hub is designed to fulfill all those functions and more.
The idea started in 2023, when Kyle Zimmerman and Roxanne Greeson were planning to move to Port Angeles. Greeson, CEO of The Hub, said they met with more than 100 locals to talk about what the city was missing.
Two of the top responses were affordable studio spaces for artists and fun things to do when the weather is crummy.
“With that in mind, The Hub was kind of designed,” Greeson said.
Since it opened at the end of May 2024, The Hub has expanded beyond those purposes. While it does have affordable studio spaces for local artists to rent, it also has comfy couches from which people can telework, a storefront for people to sell their creations and a host of artistic and musical spaces people can use.
“Call it a creative space,” Creative Director Todd Fischer said.
“A creative testing ground,” Greeson added.
The Hub’s spaces are designed to inspire that creativity among its members. When people have ideas, Greeson said staff are more than willing to help flesh them out and bring them to life.
Fostering community connections — which can then help ideas grow and take form — is another chief purpose of The Hub.
“You make two connections, and those two connections make two more connections, and it just keeps branching out,” Fischer said.
The hub of The Hub is a room called the entertainment bay. It has instruments people can play, including a grand piano, tables for board games or computer work, couches to lounge on, a chess set, video games, shuffleboard, basic artist supplies and tools and more.
It’s a place to come together and work on your own ideas, with ample space to take needed breaks.
The Hub also runs programs that help ideas come to fruition. One of them is the “experiment program,” which helps locals design and launch community events.
Some recent community events they’ve hosted include Big Al’s Boozeless Blues Jam, Drum N Dance and Breathwork with Mikki.
Greeson described The Hub as “a stepping stone” — both for ideas like these and for business ventures people might want to try.
Staff will “help where we can,” Greeson said. “We are partners in your idea.”
The Hub also runs its own events, fulfilling that mission of being a place to gather when the weather is not so fun.
When events are not going on, people can drop by just to hang out and enjoy the space.
“Really, what it is, is a third place … neutral territory where community is built,” Greeson said.
A “third place” is one, outside of home and work, where people can connect, exchange ideas, build relationships and enjoy life.
“Post-COVID, I think a lot of us have forgotten how to socialize and the value of community,” Greeson said. “This is an effort to bring that back.”
To enjoy the space, people can buy a membership that will allow them to access the space whenever it’s open, as well as give them free or discounted tickets to workshops, classes and events. The Hub Club membership costs $50 per month for adults or $40 per month for children or seniors.
“The more you use it, the more you get out of it,” Greeson said.
Those who are on the fence or just want to drop in for a day can purchase a day pass, which is $10 for adults or $8 for children or seniors.
The Hub’s typical hours are from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Often events will run later.
Greeson and Fischer invited people to come by and check the space out, or drop in for one of the many events it hosts.
“Come see what we have to offer,” Fischer said. “Come see what the space is about, what ideas you have.”
As community ideas and needs emerge, Fischer said The Hub can adapt and evolve to help meet those needs.
“The Room of Requirement is the best analogy I have for The Hub,” Greeson said, referencing a magical room from Harry Potter. “It is what you need it to be.”
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Reporter Emma Maple can be reached by email at emma.maple@peninsuladailynews.com.
