Originally published as Girls' Night In Newsletter Issue #178 Editor's Note. Subscribe here.
I am BURSTING with joy. This week, we finally shared what the GNI team and I have been working on for the past year and a half, from an idea I had 3 years ago when I first started the company.
I’m so excited to announce the launch of The Lounge (follow us at @jointhelounge), our very special membership community and platform. The core feature and purpose of The Lounge is connection. I came up with this idea because I never really felt like I found “the solution” to meeting new people and making new friends in my area as an adult. I’m not saying this is THE solution, but it’s the one that I’d been searching for.
The Lounge allows you to bring people together for gatherings like book clubs, cookbook club dinners, DIY nights, movie nights, and more. While The Lounge was originally built for in-person gatherings, with COVID-19, our (amazing) team had to immediately pivot hard into virtual-only gatherings, for now at least. There are tons of other membership perks, but gatherings are at the heart of The Lounge.
Prior to COVID-19, The Lounge launched in our hometown of Washington, D.C. in a stealth beta. It was pretty wonderful to see our founding members going over to each others’ homes to discuss books, share a meal together, and more. All those months (and years, tbh) wondering, “Is this a crazy idea? Will anyone actually use this? Will they like it?” were so worth it after seeing the magic come to life in person. I even got to host some Lounge gatherings myself!
The Lounge has been a true labor of love. It has been built by and for this community. Thank you to all our founding members (Founding Loungers) who’ve helped us create this special community that's only just getting started. Thanks to our small but mighty team of 8 people who worked hard, day and night, to bring this to life.
Want to join us on The Lounge? You can join our waitlist, starting THIS WEEK! (More info on that here.) I hope you’ll #loungewithus soon. In honor of the Lounge launch, this week's issue of GNI is extra Loungey — hope you enjoy!