For more than a century, our building at 103 Main Street in Falls Village has been an essential gathering spot. Built in 1901 as the Third Falls Village Methodist Church, it stands at the center of town life. In 2006, Denise Cohn rallied the local community to stage a professionally directed production of The Wizard of Oz. What began as The Falls Village Children’s Theater Company quickly revealed something larger: a shared hunger not just for the arts, but for a place to belong. Over the next two decades, that spark evolved into The Center on Main—a nonprofit dedicated to connecting our community through creativity, exploration, and shared space.

In many rural towns, informal gathering spots are disappearing. These vital “third spaces” beyond home and work—including libraries and parks, bookstores and cafés—build resilient communities by establishing familiarity and a sense of belonging. In Falls Village, Connecticut’s second-smallest town, The Center on Main is one of these rare spaces: part arts hub, part living room for the community. While not affiliated with any particular religion, we are proud to continue to steward the spirit of convening and connection that has always been at the heart of our building’s purpose—which is why protecting and revitalizing this community resource is more pressing than ever before.

When it comes to meeting the needs of folks living in the Northwest Corner, evolution is key. In addition to workshops, informal arts gatherings, live music, performances, and diverse creative programming at low or no cost to participants, our most unique offering remains our physical space. Over the years, The Center on Main has hosted musicians who needed a space to give lessons, drummers who needed a space for their drum circle, a taekwondo school that needed a dojang, a baker who needed a place for customers to pick up his bread, and dozens of other community-driven offerings. We welcome individuals, businesses, and organizations with ideas to reach out and start a conversation. Perhaps we can help bring your idea to life in our space.

At The Center on Main, our greatest strength might be our potential. Our mission to connect the community through creativity is intentionally broad. We invite you to share your passions, fill in the blanks with what you care about most, and help us to shape what The Center on Main can become—together. Our nonprofit’s historic home remains what it has always been: a place to come together. The Center on Main. Where community and the arts meet.