Seizing The Moment at Now or Never

Elvira Orozco, founder of Now or Never: Hobby Hub + Social Club, creating crafts with club members. Photo credit Allie Barry.

Dusk, a popular music venue in Providence, closed its door after thirteen years last January after the building was sold. Holding legendary status to local musicians as well as the underground worlds of punk and metal, the venue’s closing left behind a gaping hole in the community.  

Now, Elvira Orozco wants to bring that feeling of community back to the building and to her beloved Providence with Now or Never: Hobby Hub + Social Club, a venue dedicated to the arts of crafting and socializing. 

Tucked into the Valley art district, Now or Never brings you in like a warm hug, featuring cozy couches, self-led watercolor, collage and pastel craft stations and an outdoor garden. Dedicated to the transformative power of connection, Orozco wants to create more opportunities and space for people to gather and make meaningful relationships. She, herself, has felt how art inspires that sense of togetherness.  

“Combining my love for crafting, music, events, meeting people and Providence with my experience as an event producer the last decade, I am hoping to provide easier ways to spark conversation and care amongst each other through the joy of expressive arts,” she says. 

Now or Never: Hobby Hub + Social Club creations. Photo courtesy of Elvira Orozco.

When it came to choosing the space on Harris Avenue, Orozco felt a “connection” to Providence as soon as she moved from a small town in New York. She never felt something like it, always wandering a line of disconnection within herself and those around her. But Providence, she says, was like discovering a new world. So, when the opportunity came calling, she was eager to answer.  

Out of fifty-three applicants, she was awarded a low-rate lease and buildout of the space in July. To move forward with the space, she needs to come up with 75 percent of the total funding by Jan. 21. 

“I just want to be a part of continuing something that Providence was founded on — I’ve never witnessed such celebration and acceptance to be your authentic self while also having such a deep sense of care and community,” she says.  

A Now or Never: Hobby Hub + Social Club meetup. Photo credit Kiley Therrien.

The public can help make the dream a reality through donating and spreading the word. Now or Never’s Kickstarter is more than halfway to its $9,000 goal with three days left. Two pop-up fundraisers taking place this weekend will give the community a taste of what Now or Never has to offer, featuring pop-up style to encourage everyone’s creativity with watercolor, coloring and collaging.  

The pop-ups will be held Jan. 18, from noon–3 p.m., at Narragansett Brewery, 271 Tockwotton St., Providence, and Jan. 19, from noon–3 p.m., at the Creative Reuse Center, 991 Waterman Ave., East Providence. For more information or to contribute, visit kickstarter.com.