Biz Owner Ignites Spark to Create Community Center
Jenn Baker grew up longing for a community safe space to come, hang out and be her quirky self. The problem? It didn’t exist.
So, in March 2025, the Tennessee native and Morrisville transplant created her own unique space via Blank Space Community Center.
“My idea is to give people a safe space that’s private, not secular and not taxpayer-funded,” Baker said of her community center, which is located in the Gaslight Shopping Center. “I wanted to offer people the space I didn't get to experience growing up in rural Tennessee. I wanted something we could be free with creating unique experiences.
Operating from a sky’s the limit mindset when it comes to offerings, Blank Space features classes on wide-ranging programs, including creative writing workshops, yoga, belly dancing classes, dungeons & dragons sessions, hand-built ceramics, painting classes, psychic medium events and more.
“This is quirky and weird and that’s what I want it to be,” Baker said. “I am not a matching furniture kind of person.”
Since opening, Baker has expanded into the adjacent space that formerly housed a martial arts center. With the additional space the center can accommodate up to 120 people for birthday parties, bridal showers, or their various larger-scale events, including the Fairy Festival, Art Shows, Kids Camps, Arts & Crafts Markets, Plant Sales, and adult prom. She also rents out space to other groups as well.
Programming is geared for people of all ages and interests.
“Our tagline is ‘find your spark,’” she said. “We try to do stuff that’s a little more out of the box.”
Instead of “cookie cutter,” Baker and her team strive to offer intuitive, creative experiences as well as instructed ones.
Baker, who owns a Young Rembrandts art education franchise and also leads the Lower Bucks Women’s Networking Group out of Blank Space, partners with women business owners who are experts in their various fields and seeking space to teach their classes.
Baker has surrounded herself with an amazing, talented group of creative instructors at the center.
Melissa Metzgar was recently promoted to creative director. She is a classically trained artist and art historian with a rich educational experience. She is creating hand-built ceramics classes, art history, cultural events and adult experiences to add classic and traditional experiences.
Writing instructor Sandy LaPolla leads creative writing experiences and helps with operations.
LaPolla offers various writing workshops that are both drop ins and series based.
“It’s not a critique group,” LaPolla said of her class, which attracts both youth and adults. The class uses various prompts to inspire writing. “We build up writers in our workshops, not tear them down."
Prior to opening Blank Space, Baker went to school for dance and theater but ultimately obtained a business degree and worked for three Fortune 500 companies.
“I’ve always been a super creative person,” Baker said, noting that she specializes in “therapeutic storytelling,” and has written a book, which she is in the process of publishing, is a self-taught artist, and dreamer. “My strengths are talking to people, relating to them, and figuring out what their strengths are to help them bring their highest self into the world. I strive to make people feel seen, heard and included.”
Art educator and sculptor Kristin Brander of the HeART and Soul Creative, teaches intuitive painting classes and soul collage out of the center, which she said enables participants to “speak through their art.” Brander strives to have students think outside of the box when creating, empowering them to “find process and breath and creative release” along the way.
In the first year, Blank Space offered well over 100 programs, according to Baker. Looking ahead, she hopes to continue offering innovative programming while creating a nonprofit offshoot that would cover the cost of classes for low-income families. She also hopes to launch a podcast featuring students, local artists and women business owners.
She attributes much of the center’s early success to kismet.
“Whoever and whatever I needed to help me create this space the past year, has literally come in the front door right when I needed it,” Baker said. “It has been a magical experience.”
Learn more
Blank Space Community Center is located in the Gaslight Shopping Center, 85 Makefield Road, unit 7, Morrisville. The center is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Blank Space offers a variety of classes, summer camps, as well as onsite festivals, art shows, and space to hold special events. To see a class schedule, visit https://www.blankspacecommunitycenter.com. Classes can be reserved online. Some drop-in classes are also available. For more information, please call 215-614-8037 or email blankspacecommunitycenter@gmail.com.