Singles in Philly now have a new place to go and a new resource to consult for dating advice.
The Philadelphia Dating Annex has opened as a permanent home for the Free Dating Advice concept in a 150-square-foot former dressmaker’s studio on Passyunk Avenue in South Philadelphia.
She explained that the new Philadelphia Dating Annex space will provide counseling formats and communal activities to address dating frustration in the city. New features at the Annex include an emotional processing station with writing prompts and a note/shredder option, plus a community ex box for depositing and viewing mementos from past relationships.
The idea for the Philadelphia Dating Annex stems from a traveling advice table that appeared at street festivals, flea markets, breweries, and, once, a parking lot at Seventh and Christian, Catinella said. It featured services like a gut check and seven-minute vent, drawing about 900 participants over two years at festivals, markets, and other events.
“This space is something that I hope makes it feel like you can have the kind of catharsis that you have from the table, but on a communal level,” she shared with Philadelphia magazine. “The exhaustion is welcome, but there’s tons of levity too. That’s what I think Free Dating Advice has been about.”
People are responding to the Philadelphia Dating Annex and its outreach.Â
“I have heard from people that I’ve met through this group that it is a very difficult city, particularly for women, to date in,” said Kristin Hinkley, a UX designer who attended past Free Dating Advice events, in a statement shared with Philadelphia magazine. “It’s given me comfort in realizing that a lot of people are going through the same thing and it’s not necessarily a me problem. I feel like [the Philadelphia Dating Annex] is almost an art project, like a collaborative community art effort.”
The original FDA table will continue to appear at local events, serving as the Philadelphia Dating Annex’s field services arm, according to Catinella.
