A Refuge Within Tumult 

“I never thought I’d love life in the country,” admits Los Angeles native Laura Newman, but she and her late husband, Jim Tauber, were charmed by Los Olivos. 

They retired from their practice as therapists (a second career for both of them, Jim having been a film producer and Laura a general contractor) and relocated to the Santa Ynez Valley more than a decade ago. There, they managed their Honeybear orchard and vineyard, were active in various nonprofits, and, in 2021, launched Lefty’s Coffee Co., offering locally roasted fair-trade coffee, organic treats, and even a curated book shop. With plentiful indoor/outdoor seating, a welcoming vibe, and a popular monthly “open mic” hosted by Grey Bear Erickson, Lefty’s quickly filled a niche as a “third space” for locals.

“Third space” is a term coined by sociologist Ray Oldenburg, but you already know what it means, whether for the lack of one, or because you are lucky enough to have found one. Apart from the first space of home and the second space of work, third spaces provide a public venue for relaxing, socializing, and fostering a vital sense of connection. 

Buoyed by the success of Lefty’s, Jim and Laura envisioned another variation of such a place. They would find a building and renovate it, creating a capacious, accessible location where people could mingle, participate, and experience community. The scope of its use could be as wide as the imagination ― a setting for performances, classes, exhibits, meetings, spoken word, dances, crafts, whatever folks might conjure up. Payment for its use as a venue would be sliding scale or pay it forward. It felt like a beautiful and necessary idea.

But Jim passed away in 2025, and the beautiful and necessary idea was in Laura’s hands. She eventually found an available building on Numancia Street in Santa Ynez and went to work. “At one point in the process,” she told me, “I looked around at that space, and I thought, ‘This is my grief, in all its beauty.’ But then, after several months of remodeling, I suddenly saw that more than just my grief; this is also my love — my love in all its beauty.”

Third Space is ready now. It is a simple, clean, airy place that emanates promise and possibility. I went to an opening celebration in June, and the love was indeed palpable. It was late in the day, and the streets of old Santa Ynez were drenched with a warm golden light. The event was well-attended: Ribbons of hopeful conversations unfurled in the air, children played, friends embraced, and there was music.

There will soon be a website and a calendar for those interested in holding events at Third Space; stay tuned. For now, a small card declares: “We are committed to being a safe space to gather, to nurturing local programming, offering low-cost and sliding scale access, to support change making, and to create a community hub of activity.”

Touched by Laura’s resilience and imagination, I asked what gives her hope. “Hope is the energy I have felt by being so vulnerable with the people in this community,” she replied.

I have experienced this myself lately. We give each other permission to be vulnerable, and in so doing, we make each other stronger.

“But what matters,” Laura adds, “is action, the doing. Even when you feel vulnerable, you can still do something.”

Third Space is an enduring invitation to experience the web of love that can arise from community. “It is a legacy,” Laura says, “A real space that will be here for the next generation.” 

It is thus a love letter — to Jim, the community, and the future, from Laura and from Jim Tauber’s three daughters. 

Meanwhile, tumultuous times have deepened friendships, and we have been witnessing a shift from cynicism to constructive hope. 

As I stood in the threshold of this place of possibility, I thought of these words from the poet Sekou Sundiata: “What you dream up is deeper than what you know.”

Whatever we dreamed might happen here.

For more information, contact 3rdspacesyv@gmail.com.