Dear Smalltown members and friends,

I want to start by sharing the fuller story of where Smalltown has been — and where we are excited to go next.

Smalltown began in late 2016 as The Smalltown Space: one room, one shared belief — that the artists, activists and overall community members needed a place to gather, experiment, and to foster a better narrative for our neighborhood. That space quickly became more than a venue. It became a proving ground. A workshop. Monthly gatherings highlighting some of the best art and orgs in our community. Theater productions were born there. Early conversations around agriculture and land trusts took root there. Most of all, hundreds of artists passed through its doors to share songs, poems, films, and unfinished ideas. Developing their craft and deeper community along the way. 

Over time, Smalltown grew beyond four walls. Between the original space and events produced throughout the community —we have now hosted more than 500 events and helped highlight hundreds of artists. What started as a room slowly became a signal: culture lives here.

As our work grew, so did our responsibility to the wider community. Smalltown stepped fully into the public square. We helped acquire and preserve The Chabot Theater for the community. That effort ensured the survival of a historic, single-screen theater as a public cultural asset. Today, The Chabot stands as its own independent entity and was recently named SF Gate’s Best Theater in the Bay Area — a powerful reminder of what collective stewardship can accomplish.

During the pandemic, in a moment when connection felt fragile and rare, we also found small, human ways to show up — organizing simple outdoor gatherings with food and music so people could safely see one another and remember they weren’t alone. These weren’t about growth or branding. They were about care.

Out of all of this, The LAB emerged as the heart of Smalltown. Not a class. Not a showcase. A place where unfinished work was welcome, honesty mattered more than perfection, and artists practiced their music and belonging together. Alongside this, we deepened our commitment to youth and wellness through our ongoing work with the Wellness Center at Castro Valley High School, supporting creativity as a core part of mental health, identity, and belonging.

Over time, we began to sense a shift:

SO, as we move forward, we are formally transitioning our work into a new entity: Smalltown Creative. Our main efforts will now be aligned around three clear, interlocking goals — each designed to support artists (and the conditions for flourishing) not just at moments of visibility, but across a lifetime of creative practice.

We are building a true pipeline for artists — from their first open mic, to sustained creative practice, to leadership and mentorship.

This begins with The LAB and expands into our soon-to-launch Smalltown Artist Development Cohorts: slow, relational programs designed to bridge the gap between raw talent and sustainable creative lives. These cohorts center practice, identity, ethics, and care — offering the kind of support most artists never receive, but desperately need.

As this ecosystem grows, we also want to better support the many kinds of artists already in our midst — comedians shaping new material, writers testing language, visual artists developing ideas, and future organizers learning to name what they see and imagine what could be. In response, we’re beginning to offer additional LAB formats — including Comedy LABs, Writing Jams, and Ideas LABs, with more to come — creating multiple on-ramps into creative practice while keeping the same spirit of honesty, experimentation, and mutual support at the core.

From this pipeline grows a non-profit, multi-artist music label, rooted in stewardship rather than extraction. This label exists to protect artists, amplify their work ethically, and support long-term careers — not quick moments of hype.

The guiding principle is simple:
the label serves the artist’s life, not the other way around.

All of this lives within a growing media network — zines, podcasts, documentation, and storytelling that preserve memory, process, and creativity. This isn’t marketing. It’s narrative infrastructure. A way of ensuring the work doesn’t just happen, but lasts.

Together, these three goals form one ecosystem — designed to support artists as whole people and anchor creativity in community.

To support this next chapter, we’re introducing Smalltown Creative as the home for the work moving forward. During this transition, memberships will now be managed through Open Collective, with the support of our friends at Organize Hayward! a 501(c)(3), and we’re asking current members to re-sign up there.

What stays the same:

What you continue to receive:

What’s new:

If Smalltown has ever mattered to you — if you’ve ever felt seen, supported, or inspired here — this is how you help carry the work forward.

Thank you for believing in deep roots, slow growth, and the quiet power of imagination. This work has always been about people — and it’s an honor to keep building it together.

With gratitude and resolve,
Paul Keim
Founder & Director
Smalltown Society / Smalltown Creative