SALT LAKE CITY — A local club has been creating friends in northern Utah, one friend at a time.
Since last year, there have been several pop-up events in the Salt Lake City community involving crafts like candle-making or matchbook collaging. It’s all part of Craft Club SLC, started by Janelle Widtfeldt in March 2024.
But it’s about more than just the crafts, it’s about creating a community and finding one’s friends.
“Coming out of COVID, post-grad and even moving to a new city, you aren’t given a handbook on how to like… find people,” Widtfeldt said.
So she created her own handbook and hosts 7 or 8 pop-up events each month in Utah, bringing people together from across the state.
“There have been so many girls that moved here that are like. 'I’m just looking for community, and I want that, and I’m looking for a group of best friends,'” she said.
Widtfeldt moved to Salt Lake City for school and ended up staying after becoming an elementary school teacher. She took classes like woodworking on the side at night, and then combined her love for learning, crafts, and friendship to create Craft Club.
The club hosts different events with different local businesses, such as H.K. Brewing or Define Fitness. “It’s really fun to bring business to them,” Widtfeldt said.
There is a fee for the events, but Widtfeltd tries to keep it between $30-$40 per event. The goal is to keep creating events and combine different ideas — all in the name of creating community for years to come.
“Have you said it’s hard to make friends as an adult?” she said. “In my eyes, I think that need goes away, but it never goes away. We need people in our lives.”
