A popular, and growing, nonprofit is taking a major step to provide a space for its Chapel Hill community and supporters: building a clubhouse.
B3 announced on Tuesday its purchase of space at 308 West Rosemary Street as the future home of the B3 Clubhouse, a “third space” for adults with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). The units are on the ground floor of The Fountains office and condo building, previously home to Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions.
The B3 organization — which started in 2020 as a pop-up coffee shop alongside three neuro-divergent UNC students, and stands for “Being, Belonging, and Becoming” — has since expanded its mission to provide more opportunities and resources to I/DD residents. Helping build confidence and connections through employment was always central to the group’s goal, and the vision for the B3 Clubhouse is to create a place for even more fun experiences. The nonprofit started the clubhouse model in late 2025 out of rooms in the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, but with the goal of finding a space to permanently call its own.
“The new Clubhouse is an opportunity to create a place intentionally designed for community to happen,” Executive Director of B3 Jacklyn Boheler said in the nonprofit’s release. “It is infrastructure for belonging. It gives people a place to return to, a place where relationships can grow over time, and will be an important visible presence in the broader Chapel Hill community.”
The 308 West Rosemary Street space purchased by B3 faces the road, helping with visibility and accessibility to the community. (Photo via Jacklyn Boheler/B3.)
While B3 has grown to offer several social, education and vocational programs to its more than 300 members, much of its operations to this point have been in shared or borrowed spaces — like Holy Trinity and the Chapel Hill Public Library, which hosts the B3 Coffee kiosk. The new space at West Rosemary Street will add to its offerings by allowing B3 to have a permanent spot for structured and unstructured programming, said Boheler, while maintaining its core features.
“Having a permanent home doesn’t mean we’re leaving the community spaces that have helped us grow,” she said. “It gives us a home base while allowing us to continue building partnerships throughout Chapel Hill.”
The terminology and philosophy around third spaces has become a critical part of urban planning in recent years, as people continue to adapt to an increasingly online society that was splintered during the COVID-19 pandemic. By definition, a “third space” is not someone’s home, nor a place of work, where people can gather to meet and spend time together. The B3 Clubhouse aims to achieve that as a spot to welcome adults and encourage engagement between peers, neighbors and allies.
Not only is finding such places difficult for most adults, but those with I/DD especially face challenges. B3 says many people with intellectual and developmental disabilities experience a drop off in resources and risk of isolation upon graduating high school. At the Clubhouse, members will not only have a chance to meet and see people, but take part in life skills programs and creative activities.
B3 members work together on an art project as part of the nonprofit’s Arts EMPOWER classes in April. The organization plans for events like that to be held in its future Clubhouse space. (Photo via B3 on Facebook.)
“It can be hard to make friends as an adult,” B3 member Sam Wagner said. “The clubhouse creates a safe space to meet people without fear of judgment and do fun activities.”
“People need places where they are known, valued, and empowered to contribute — not just places where they receive support” Dan Gitterman, Chair of B3’s Board of Directors and professor of Public Policy at UNC, added in the release.
While the sale to B3 is official and work has begun to prepare for opening the new clubhouse space, the nonprofit is asking the community for help fulfilling its vision. It launched a fundraising campaign alongside its announcement, aiming to raise $150,000 to finish renovations and furnish the space. An agreement with the Community Bridges Foundation also will see all donations matched up to $25,000. If the campaign’s target is met, the plan is to open the B3 Clubhouse in January 2027.
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