Modesto’s ‘third places’ create space to connect, organize and build community trust
The Bee asked Modesto residents for their favorite “third places” — spots other than work or home where people can come together and build connections locally.
Respondents did not disappoint.
The concept of a third place comes from sociologist Ray Oldenburg. He believes that having locales where people can meet and converse is essential to maintaining democracy because it encourages open dialogue, public participation and public trust.
Cafes and tearooms have played a role in democracy since before the American Revolution.
Third places should not be prohibitively expensive. The term “penny university” was used to describe the type of educationally valuable conversations that occurred in low-cost British coffeehouses in the 17th century. Now, there is a Modesto cafe named Penny University on J Street downtown.
Cafes, including Queen Bean and Caffettino, topped the list of places where residents say they can relax and chat about the issues of the day.
Queen Bean owner Ruhi Sheikh said she learned very early on that when people find a place that feels comfortable, they bring their creativity with them.
“We’re really just a hub, it’s remarkable,” she said. “Really, they’re generating their own community and telling us what they need, which is fabulous.”
Anyone with an idea for how to use the space can add it to the events calendar in the back of the house, Sheikh said.
Perfecto Muñoz, chief executive officer of the West Modesto Community Collaborative, said the areas of south and west Modesto could use a good coffee shop.
“If Starbucks ever put a spot here, they would have so much traffic that they couldn’t handle the volume of people buying, they’d probably run out of coffee,” he said. “It would be like a gathering place, people hanging out – young kids, young adults.”
Breweries and bars offer a chance for people to get a sense of an area, meet new people and check out local artists or bands.
One reader said his favorite bar in Turlock, called Staley’s Club, reminds him of the titular bar in the Boston-set ‘90s sitcom “Cheers.”
Many breweries in Modesto allow dogs, including Contentment, Persuasion, Black Orchid, Track 424 and 18 Seventy. One reader said it is a great way to strike up a conversation with someone new.
Lunch spots such as Taqueria Mis Compadres and Brighter Side Sandwich Shop – a cash-only local neighborhood haunt with a resident cat named Pumpkin – also were mentioned.
Getting started if you’re shy or introverted
For more introverted residents, one reader said using their hands helped them break the ice.
Queen Bean hosts a crafting group once a month that Sheikh said she discovered after buying the cafe. She said many of the group members aren’t actively talking to one another, just sitting quietly and working on their crafts.
“When they come up through the line and they are ordering stuff and I hear them talking to each other,” she said, “I’ll ask them a question and they’re like, ‘Oh, yeah, we just met last week at the other craft club that was here.’”
Other hands-on recommendations are gardening workshops or volunteer opportunities like Love Modesto.
Cortney Lewis and Jennifer Ellis started a Modesto chapter of a Silent Book Club, which hosts large events at locally owned businesses throughout Modesto.
“It just started with an idea, ‘Let’s just set up a meeting time at a business and just see if other people want to join us,’” Lewis said.
“Right, like why are we reading by ourselves?” asked Ellis.
They set up at coffee shops, restaurants and bars throughout the area, as long as they are locally owned, it’s been a way for them to check out new spaces.
“And I hear that a lot from people, too. They’ll go, ‘I didn’t even know this place existed, this is great,’” Lewis said. “I love our little social community but I also think we’re helping on a larger scale with our local economy.”
The group has a half hour of socializing followed by an “intentional hour” where people can read, listen to audiobooks, craft or study. The next meet-up is May 10.
Low cost and no cost
Part of the importance of third places, according to Oldenburg, is that they promote social equity by leveling the status of guests. This allows people to enjoy the company around them and build community in a low-stress environment.
The West Modesto Community Collaborative at the King-Kennedy Memorial Center acts as that kind of space. Young mothers do aerobics in the morning after dropping off their kids at school, and the center regularly hosts community meetings and seminars to help make lasting connections, organize and build skills.
Rob Van Tuinen, owner of Meeple Valley, said he created the board game cafe located near McHenry Avenue to be a low-cost place where people could hang out.
“One of the reasons we started Meeple Valley was because there weren’t enough third places in Modesto,” he said. “I grew up in Modesto, there was never really anything that felt like that, other than going to the movies or Funworks. I just never had anywhere to go.”
Now, for $7, people can play tabletop games all day. “It’s really about encouraging the community to stay here in Modesto, play some games and have fun.”
For no-cost options, local libraries and parks are great places to start.
Sarah Dentan, a Stanislaus County librarian, said the library is a space where people can read, use public computers and WiFi, learn new skills and connect with others. “Our libraries proudly serve as community hubs – welcoming spaces where people from all walks of life can meet, collaborate, and learn.”
Ustach Park and Davis Park are great places to take a stroll, according to readers. East La Loma Park offers a chance to take on a game of disc golf.
For people looking for something off the beaten path, there are groups that cater to special interests.
Stephanie Conklin is a member of Modesto Skates, a roller-skating group that started during the COVID-19 pandemic and now meets weekly. “We immediately bonded through skating, like nothing else matters,” she said.
The oldest member is a 70-something and the youngest is around 4 years old. Conklin said the group helps new members learn and gain confidence.
“We don’t just go up there to help ourselves, to show off or anything like that,” she said. “It’s kind of chill, people can talk about whatever’s going on in their life while we roam around to music.”
Another reader said one of their third places is a weekend meet-up of their bike club in the parking lot by the Dutch Bros. on Carpenter Road.
Jaki Rangel moved from Oakland to Modesto two years ago. She doesn’t have a favorite third place but is trying to be more present in her community for her kids.
“We’re all here, we all see each other, we should know each other,” she said.
She started by placing a bench in her front porch, then a climbing structure in the tree in her front yard, so when neighbors come by, they see her and her kids and say hello.
“We take walks in the neighborhood, and we wave to everybody, we encourage my son to wave to everybody,” she said. “So if there is something going on we’re aware of it, so around town we have people looking out, that the community sort of builds itself – because if no one is doing it, it won’t happen.”
Lewis, one of the founders of Silent Book Club Modesto, is proud of the community that she’s built with co-founder Ellis.
“If you’re looking for community and you’re not seeing it, then be part of figuring out how to improve or grow that,” she said.
This story was originally published April 28, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
