The Creative Living Room opened in the fall of 2008 as a small business situated in the town center of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. Four local female teaching artists - Eli Bromley, Allison DeSalvo,  Lynn Falk, and Rosemary Fox - transformed a dark, old bookstore into a comfortable, colorful, playful space for children and families to nurture creativity, self-expression, and community.  We defined success by the quality of our teaching, the joy of our students, and the support and involvement of our community.  More driven by our mission than our bottom line, Bromley and Falk made the leap from LLC to 501c3 in the Spring 2015 and we have been operating as a non-profit 501c3 tax-exempt charitable organization since Fall 2015.  

As a non-profit, our primary objective is to raise funds to cover programming and operating expenses for classes, summer camps, special community events, and arts outreach that celebrate creativity.  We offer classes in dance,  art, music,  theater, martial art, and yoga, taught by professional teaching artists, who emphasize the benefits of engaging in the process of creation and self-expression for children of all ages. 

From the Fall 2015 through Summer 2018, The Creative Living Room functioned as the anchor tenant at Stage One Performing Arts Complex in Wallingford. Stage One offered TCLR room to grow with the addition of two large studio spaces as well as access to grassy fields and a proscenium stage to showcase student work. Our move to Stage One also allowed for growth on an organizational level through the addition of several new board members and our first fundraising endeavor— the Halloween-themed, stroller-friendly 5K BOO Run & Kid's Dash. And an annual Spring Showcase was held, featuring performances and a gallery of student work. TCLR participated as a member organization on the Stage One Advisory Board. Lisa Oster, a dance teaching artist with expertise in non-profit management and development, was hired as Executive Director. 

When the Wallingford Swarthmore School District announced plans to sell the property occupied by Stage One,  The Creative Living Room played an active role in garnering support for Nether Providence Township to purchase the property for the benefit of the community. While the purchase of the property directly benefited the community, TCLR had to vacate the building which was ultimately demolished. This precipitated our return to Swarthmore as tenants of the Swarthmore Community Center (SCC) where we offered morning and evening classes and summer camps from the Fall 2018 through Spring 2020.  During this time, TCLR offered its afternoon programming at the Swarthmore-Rutledge School, receiving students throughout WSSD and surrounding communities. 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, TCLR did not offer programming in the Spring 2020.  Uncertainty surrounding the safety of in-person activities for Summer Camp 2020 and faith in the skills of our teaching artist pushed TCLR to offer a full ten weeks of virtual summer camp. We kept all our themes in tact, pivoted activities for virtual delivery and found as much summertime fun live online as we did in person, thanks to a resilient group of creative campers! 

TCLR experienced a sense of deja vu as Swarthmore College took over control of the Swathmore Community Center facility and we moved out of the space at the end of the Summer 2020. Covid continued to keep our programming online until certain measures and vaccines made it safe to be back in person. In addition to our own set of virtual classes, we began a partnership with Park Lane Elementary School in Darby. Our teaching artists provided them with a mediation and mindfulness series for Grades 3-5. TCLR also partnered with Swarthmore-Rutledge School's Book Club providing interactive virtual activities at their monthly meetings. 

Knowing how much movement and interaction is paramount to children's mental health, TCLR made all efforts to ensure Summer Camp 2021 would happen in person and as safely as possible. Congregation Beth Israel of Media opened their arms wide and welcomed us in, or really out-of-doors as it were. Summer 2021 was spent in the sunshine and fresh air on BI's beautiful grounds, surrounded by Linvilla Orchards. Each week of camp was full with waitlists, campers and staff made the most of projects and activities in spite of the covid protocols. Partnering with BI was meant to be, as 2021 was our 13th year in operation and where better to celebrate our coming of age "B’nai Mitzvah."

Today, we are enjoying a rebirth as we move into "adulthood" as an organization. In Fall 2021, a new opportunity with an "old friend" presented itself. Park Avenue Community Center (PAC), formerly know as the Swarthmore Community Center, entered into a partnership with Swarthmore United Methodist Church and the Swarthmore Seniors Citizens Association to breathe new life into the beautiful building at 129 Park Avenue. With several spaces for all forms of programming and facility rentals, TCLR will make our home here for what we hope will be our forever home for our programs year-round. PAC's first Executive Director is Rosemary Fox, one of the original co-founders! In addition, our ties with Congregation Beth Israel are strong and we will return for Summer Camp 2024 (four years running!). 

WE ARE RESILIENT! We are extremely proud of the family-friendly spaces that we create and re-create. Thank you for bringing your lovely families and children to dance, sing, paint, build, play, habla espanol, laugh, and celebrate milestones with The Creative Living Room. Whether we are in a new home or welcomed into your home virtually, we aim to have our home feel like yours too.