'Room for Friends,' Brick and Mortar Social Network, Opens in Westminster

Laurie Precht and her husband, Thomas, moved to Westminster in 1990 with hopes of starting a family. After careful searching of all the surrounding areas, they chose Westminster. “We moved here because people were friendly and the town had a rooted feeling,” Laurie said.

Laurie became very active in the community, particularly in drumming circles. After many years, she grew tired of dragging her drums from venue to venue each week.  She decided she wanted one spot dedicated to drumming and music gatherings, that thought was later expanded to poetry gatherings, writing workshops and even birthday parties for kids. Her concept was to create a space which was comfortable to host events, a space that conveyed that “home away from home feeling”.

Room for Friends, 11 Liberty St., evolved from this idea, a venue designed to promote face-to-face social networking.  The atmosphere is warm and cozy, decorated with earthy colors.  Laurie said she researched how color affects people, the creamy orange color on the walls is said to promote conversation. 

The venue is divided into 2 main rooms; the living room can hold up to 25 people, the work room contains a large table which can accommodate 10 people. There is also a gallery hall which displays local artwork, currently the works of photographer Gordon Wickes are on display. 

 In a nutshell, you can rent one or both rooms for your next gathering, meeting or party.  Bring your own food and drinks, after event cleanup is provided.

There is also an option for groups to occupy a room the same time each week. Laurie said that she wants groups who have no place to meet to feel comfortable using Room for Friends each week, stating “whatever you are, you are human first”.

In addition to group rentals, there are weekly structured events open to the public.  The following is the current weekly schedule of events:

Monday: 7-9 p.m. Acoustic Music Jam

Tuesday: 7-9 p.m. Poetry Workshop

Wednesday:  7-9 p.m. Beginning Drum Class

Thursday: 7-9 p.m. Chat Room Live

Friday: 7-9 p.m. Blues Expedition

Sunday: 7-9 p.m. Soft Sound Circle

There is a $20 fee for the Wednesday and Friday sessions, the cost for the other events is a “Pay what you can” fee. 

Future plans for Room for Friends includes workshops for belly dancing, seated yoga, and a dragon tea party for children.   See the Room for Friends website for additional details.

Laurie and Thomas Precht run the business together, in addition to maintaining their careers: Laurie is a school teacher and Thomas is in the retail business.  They are also raising two boys who have been very helpful in getting Room for Friendson the road to success. “It’s all about community for us, people working together for the growth of the community” said Laurie.