Ethel's Club

Ethel's Club was established as a private social and wellness club specifically for people of color. The company was founded in 2019 by Najla Austin, who was motivated by her personal difficulty in finding a Black woman therapist and her experiences in other coworking spaces that did not cater to her as a woman of color. Austin, who previously worked in real estate and tech, initially gauged interest for the club on Instagram in January 2019 and quickly gathered a waitlist of thousands, indicating a clear market need. The club is named after her grandmother, Ethel Lucas, who was a community organizer known for her social gatherings.

The business began with a physical clubhouse in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, which opened in November 2019. This space was designed to be a safe and affirming environment, offering coworking facilities, a podcast studio, a boutique with products from POC-owned brands, a café, and a variety of events. The programming included wellness services like meditation and reiki, mental health consultations, and cultural events featuring prominent artists and speakers. Revenue was generated through a tiered membership model, with monthly fees for different levels of access. The venture secured $1 million in pre-seed funding from investors including Roxane Gay and Hannibal Buress.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, Ethel's Club pivoted from a physical-first to a digital-first model. This transition expanded its reach globally, attracting members from outside of New York City. The digital platform continued to offer wellness content, workshops, and community-building opportunities. By July 2021, the company relaunched with a more accessible hybrid approach, offering free written and recorded content alongside paid, on-demand guided series, moving away from a flat monthly fee to a pay-per-item model for its events. This evolution allowed the company to test different formats for both digital and in-person experiences. Following the success of Ethel's Club, Austin went on to launch a social networking platform called Somewhere Good in 2021, securing $3.75 million in seed funding to continue her mission of creating dedicated digital spaces for people of color.

Keywords: social wellness club, people of color, Black-owned business, community platform, coworking space, mental wellness, digital membership, cultural programming, Najla Austin, Brooklyn startup, POC entrepreneurs, inclusive spaces, online community, wellness events, creative hub, social club, founder Naj Austin, BIPOC community, membership club, creative professionals