Our Work

- 3 Parts Grocery Store
- 1 Part Cafe
- Community-Owned Cooperative
This 6,000-square-foot tenant improvement transformed an empty retail space into a community-owned grocery store, designed to offer fresh, affordable food to Dorchester residents. Working closely with the Dorchester Food Co-op, we combined thoughtful architecture and engaging store design to create a welcoming and accessible environment that supports community health, local producers, and sustainability. (2020-2023)

- 1 Part Literary Gathering Space
- 2 Parts Bookshop
- 1 Part Cafe
The dynamic duo of Porsha Olayiwola and Bing Broderick had a lot to pack into this small retail space in Fields Corner! In this 1,100-square-foot ground-floor fit out, we reimagined a bookstore and café into a vibrant, community-focused haven for literature lovers and coffee enthusiasts alike. Through careful architectural design, custom-built bookshelves, and personalized signage, we crafted a space that blends creativity with comfort, offering a welcoming environment for all who step inside. This incredible for-profit bookstore JustBook-ish also hosts non-profit programming from Words As Worlds.

- 1 Part Performance Space
- 1 Part Interactive Arts Space
- 1 Part LEAF Global HQ Offices
In the heart of the Block stands a 6,000-square-foot renovation of the historic Club Del Cardo, we transformed an Asheville landmark into an immersive, community-centered arts hub. LEAF Global Arts boasts dynamic performance spaces, artist exhibition areas, community meeting rooms, and administrative offices for their nonprofit mission. By integrating culturally rich exhibits, flexible meeting spaces, and impactful signage, the space was designed to inspire both locals and visitors alike. (2018-2020)

- 29 Parts Compact Apartments
- 1 Part Book Shop
- 81 Crowdfund Owners
The only crowdfunded workforce housing mixed-use project in Dorchester! TLee Development raised funds for a brand new five-story mixed use building with 29 workforce housing apartments and commercial space on a vacant lot in Fields Corner, Dorchester, MA. This project is a low energy, sustainable, and transit-oriented design with bike parking and community space. Over 81 individual investors participated in the Reg CF Crowdfund investment via Small Change, with around 50 from Massachusetts and 40 local investors. The investors elected members to the Project Oversight Committee, and through a community process, chose the ground floor retail tenant: JustBook-ish.

- 1 Part Day Care
- 3 Parts Office Space
- 1 Part Catering Kitchen
Center for Cooperative Development and Solidarity is reclaiming their neighborhood and growing their roots! Immigrant communities have always existed within a solidarity economy. It’s time for a women run, immigrant run, transnational movement-aligned Solidarity Economy Headquarters. The Solidarity Economy HQ will be a mixed use space where CCDS can provide affordable rents for early-stage cooperatives who need physical space, such as daycare space for childcare coops and commercial kitchens for catering coops, as well as office and training space for CCDS.

- 1 Part Organizer Training Center
- 1 Part Offices
- 1 Part Gatherring Space
In 2021, Ayni began searching for a new home and learning space, ultimately finding the perfect building in Revere, near the Revere Beach train station. The two-story property, with room for 75 people per floor and a parking lot, was acquired in partnership with Neighbors United for a Better East Boston (NUBE). After months of research and fundraising, Ayni is preparing for the grand opening of its Training Center on June 21st, 2024, celebrating a decade of community support and collaboration. Join us for the inauguration from 6-9pm in Revere for food, music, and celebration.

- 3 Parts Birth Center
- 1 Part Co-Working Offices
- 1 Part Gathering Space
Anchored by the Neighborhood Birth Center, the Community Movement Commons is a one-of-a-kind collective of social justice non-profits that are bringing organizers, movement workers, community members, midwives, and healers together to dismantle oppression and give birth to a radically reimagined future, a liberated now, and future generations born into abundance in a 2-story, 10,000 SF building with surrounding green space.

- 1 part Retreat Center
- 1 part Gathering Space
- 3 parts Short Term Rental
In May 2022, a network of organizations became stewards of a beautiful retreat center situated on 19 acres of land in the town of Leyden in Franklin County, Massachusetts. Nestled within a northern hardwood forest and atop gently sloping grassy hills, this retreat center provides a space for healing, learning and rejuvenation for community leaders and activists in the region.

- 1 Part Backyard Home
- 1 Part Ground Lease
- 1 Part Low-Income Rental Unit
OBY (Our Back Yard) Inc. is a cooperative that leases space from East Bay homeowners to develop, build, and lease affordable two-bedroom ADUs that are low carbon and net zero. Pilot completed 2021.