Won't You Be My Neighbor? New Social Group Forms in Affton

Have you ever driven through Affton or Shrewsbury, noticed a shop or business and thought, "I really need to try that place!"

Well you're not alone. Two Affton businesswomen say they want to get to know their neighborhood better, so this month they founded the Affton Meetup group, an online forum where neighbors can meet and talk online to organize adventures out into the real world.

"We want to get to know our neighbors a little bit better," says Therese Ippolito, a massage therapist at the Spine and Joint Center of Affton and one of the organizers with the group. "Affton's a really small community but we have so many things in our backyard that we don't know about."

The Affton Meetup Group's first event is a happy hour for professionals, April 23 at Joey B's Food & Drink in the Concord Plaza Shopping Center.

"We want residents in the area to be able to connect with small business owners, local business owners especially," said Danielle Spath, owner of the Spine and Joint Center of Affton and the group's other organizer.

Together, the group will decide what activities and businesses to highlight, like wine tastings at a local restaurant, board game nights, yoga and other activities that would help members get to know the neighborhood. Spath said she wants this group to be able to support businesses, like the three new restaurants that opened along Gravois in Affton recently: Affton Diner, Affton Breakfast and Dinner and Affton Breakfast and Burger.

So far, the group's focus is here in Affton, maybe growing to include more of South St. Louis County. "We want to be able to support each other, the person down the street," Ippolito said.

To join the group, go to meetup.com/affton.