When Cool Aunt Creatives founder Lauren Martin graduated university and moved to a small town hours from her home, she didn’t know a soul in the area. Despite being an extrovert, she found it difficult to make friends. She began to ask herself what she wished were in place to support her.
Lauren studied landscape architecture in school, and was interested in how the design of the world around us can impact our social lives, and in turn, our mental health. She began imagining restaurants and cafes with puzzles or other conversation-starters on the tables, as a way to encourage strangers to interact. These types of solutions could work for both introverts and extroverts.
With her degree, Lauren built a career in her chosen field and designed playgrounds for many years.
“That taught me a lot about the psychological practices that I keep in mind when I'm trying to design something universal— so that it benefits us all.”
When Lauren lost her job during the COVID-19 pandemic, she decided to carve out a new path for herself. It began as a pandemic hobby, sewing felt baby mobiles and selling them online. Through this hobby, she began to make friends online in the crafting and arts community.
“It was a cool way to connect with a community and meet people I wouldn’t have otherwise had a way to meet.”
After pandemic restrictions eased, Lauren began participating in craft markets in Guelph. She met more people who were as interested in crafting as she was, making new friends and giving her opportunities for the social outings that she’d craved.
Lauren knew she wanted to create more of these opportunities for people to connect through crafting, so she started her own business. She named it Cool Aunt Creatives, as a nod to those who don’t have kids and have to make friends outside of the world of parenting.
“Now that the culture is changing, we need to change the way we socialize as well,” says Lauren.
Cool Aunt Creatives plan all types of events, with themes like plants, murder mysteries, and renaissance fairs. They also offer two-hour crafting events, where attendees socialize with like-minded people and learn a new craft from local artists.
“It’s really cool to watch friendships blossom in the workshops,” says Lauren.
Cool Aunt Creatives also runs a summer camp called Cool Aunt Jr. Lauren is a dance teacher, and has a history of running craft workshops for children at different Ontario camps. The Cool Aunt Jr. camps offer three crafts a day for the kids, as well as activities like scavenger hunts and learning about nature— including mythical creatures like mermaids and fairies.
This summer, Cool Aunt Jr. was able to provide free camp scholarships to three children who were part of Big Brothers Big Sisters. Cool Aunt Creatives also offers some PWYC events in an effort to keep them as accessible as possible.
The business also provides party-planning services, which mainly involve organizing workshops for events like bachelorettes or workplace parties. Lauren is also able to assist with booking venues and other aspects of event-planning.
Future plans for Cool Aunt Creatives include starting a party rental service, with large party tents and craft vendor market supplies available to rent.
Cool Aunt Creatives runs a Facebook group called “Shop Local Guelph | Cool Aunt Creatives Online Storefront.” The group is a way to connect customers with local artisans and markets, and is monitored by the business to ensure all items are quality and handmade.
The Facebook group, which boasts 1.6 thousand members, is another way that Lauren strives to connect her community with all things local.
“Our community has everything we need.”
For more information and for a link to the Shop Local Guelph Facebook group, visit www.coolauntcreatives.com.
