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An organization that started with a pop-up coffee shop is now creating a clubhouse in downtown Chapel Hill for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
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A January grand opening is planned for the B3 Clubhouse at 308 W. Rosemary St., according to a news release.
B3 — being, belonging, becoming — is one of two Chapel Hill organizations serving adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities. The other, Extraordinary Ventures, focuses on job training and creating self-sustaining small businesses, from laundry and cleaning services to the Extraordinary Thrift Store in Carrboro.
The B3 Clubhouse adds a social component, giving adults a safe place to hang out, meet friends, work on projects and learn new skills. It will be “a welcoming, accessible ‘third space’” providing more than access to local services, the nonprofit’s release said.
“People need places where they are known, valued, and empowered to contribute — not just places where they receive support,” said Dan Gitterman, chair of B3’s board of directors and a UNC professor of public policy.
The clubhouse is within walking distance or a bus ride of the UNC-Chapel Hill campus, local businesses, libraries and other community spaces.
It’s meant to help with the transition from high school to adulthood, which can be especially challenging for adults with Down syndrome, autism and other IDDs, B3 officials said.
“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.”
B3 was founded in 2018 by three neurodivergent UNC-CH students, who started with a pop-up coffee shop. The coffee shop has since settled into a permanent kiosk in the lobby of the Chapel Hill Public Library, where it operates Thursday through Sunday.
Catering services featuring coffee and pastries are also available.
In 2020, the group formed a nonprofit focused on creating community for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. B3 now serves over 300 members with an expanded mission that includes social events, life skills, and educational and transitional jobs programs.
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But that work is happening in shared or borrowed spaces, including at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church on East Rosemary Street, which houses the life skills program and a pilot clubhouse model, B3 officials said.
The pilot, which started in September, offers drop-in programs twice a week. That will expand to three times a week at the new clubhouse, with plans to continue growing, said B3 executive director and co-founder Jacklyn Boheler.
The goal is keeping the door open to more partnerships with local organizations, governments and people, she said, noting that the Community Bridges Foundation and the Chapel of the Cross Seed Fund have played a large role in funding the new space.
“The new clubhouse is an opportunity to create a place intentionally designed for community to happen,” Boheler said. “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.”
Club memberships are also open to neurotypical adults — called “allies” — who historically have included numerous UNC students looking to gain hands-on experience learning with and supporting adults with accessibility and learning needs, she said. Allies can drop in for clubhouse hours, volunteer with Life Skills programs, and join the transitional employment Disability Allyship pathway.
“Importantly, we see these relationships as mutually beneficial,” Boheler said. “Many of our allies tell us that they gain a strong sense of belonging and community through their involvement with B3.”
B3’s programs are funded through grants, program fees and donations, and members who cannot afford the fees can apply for financial assistance and scholarships. Roughly 40% of B3’s members use Medicaid funding to cover eligible program fees, she said. B3 Coffee is self-sustaining, using revenues from its sales to help pay staff wages.
A fundraiser has been established to help B3 raise money for renovations and to furnish its new clubhouse. Find more information about the Opening Our Doors Campaign online at givebutter.com/the-b3-opening-our-doors-fundraiser.
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This story was originally published September 10, 2026 at 12:02 PM.