By: Ann Marie Awad
In Buffalo, you either know a lot of people or you don’t. We have about two degrees of separation here; you could know any dude on the street by extension because you know his cousin or hair dresser. But, as it goes, people leave Buffalo and getting to know new people is a little difficult.
I started Swap Club as a way to get people together and make new friends. I made some really wonderful close friends at UB who graduated before me and moved away. While I’m still in touch with them, I suddenly found my social calendar quite vacant. So while my initial motive was a little selfish, there’s still a little more design behind the glue bottle logo.
Gift giving is hard. Add to that difficulty by having to give a gift to someone you don’t know. Now watch the Jenga tower wobble as you add another challenge: you have to make this person a gift with your own two hands. This trifecta of challenges is what makes Swap Club work.
Suddenly, when you’re hunched over, befuddled, head in hands, trying to create something that will make another person happy, you allow yourself to get some insight into what that person is like.
Meetings work like this: There’s usually a theme craft for that meeting, for which I will provide supplies, or people can bring supplies. Everyone drops their name into a bowl, and then we pass it around and draw names for giftees. The remainder of the night is devoted to cutting, pasting, drawing, good music, treats and tea. In addition to that night, crafters have the next two weeks to complete their project, and then we swap them at the beginning of the next meeting before moving onto another craft. Our schedule has been a little shaky because we’re all students, but it’s looking like it will even out thanks to summer.
The group is still small, but every now and then, one or two more people will stroll into the door. Sugar City is such a great venue for this type of thing. After having been a volunteer for a few months, I saw that a place like Sugar City can house a lot of neat things. In a lot of ways, Swap Club wouldn’t be possible without Sugar City. We draw on people who are both fans of the venue and the kind of events we put on.
I have a few ideas for the future. With the arrival of summer (a.k.a. prime cookout, picnic and overall food season), I would like to start incorporating potlucks into regular Swap Club meetings. I would also like to keep Swap Club handy as a group of crafty helpers for Sugar City events (we helped assemble some things for the anniversary party last month). For now, I am continually bouncing ideas off of the group for future crafts or events; our agenda is pretty democratic. But of course, parties are in store, because it’s all about having fun.
To be part of Swap Club, check Sugar City’s online schedule, or join Sugar City on Facebook.
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Ann Marie Awad is a
senior English major at the University at Buffalo, who is also studying
journalism. Awad has been published in Artvoice, Generation Magazine
and Eat Me Daily (a food blog). She has a passion for supporting local
businesses, great coffee and Saturday mornings at the farmers market.