Matt and Bronwen need our help! The stress of being suddenly kicked out of their home and place of business, due to a landlord's greed, is becoming too much to handle. Please read on to find out more.

Finding true friends is priceless. It can be hard to make friends, especially as an adult. When you do, it can take a long time to feel completely comfortable being 100% your authentic, even quirky, self.

Have you felt that longing to belong?

Have you found those spaces where you felt truly accepted?

Many of us did, at Matt and Bronwen Chop’s “Odditorium”.

The Chops are professional Artists who rented a large commercial space in Los Angeles. Matt created large scale props and decorations for events and television. Bronwen sold art and made the space a welcoming one. The work/live environment allowed them to hire others, create installation art, host classes, and hold Community events like fundraisers, wakes, art shows, clothing swaps, and get togethers. During any event, one of their cats might wander through for pets as well.

The Odditorium was a hub for friendly, creative people who were easy to talk to and to have real conversations with. It was a place where kindness and acceptance were prided over all things. There were artists, musicians, scientists, coders, animal groomers, educators and a myriad of other interesting professions! There was so much vibrant life! It was diversity connected by friendship. Matt and Bronwen always hosted a potluck at Thanksgiving, and the white elephant gift exchange at Christmas for all misfits to attend. It was s judgment free space to laugh, dance, and express yourself. This was a space of family and friendship.

Two things happened that changed everything.

After 8 years, they signed a new 3 year lease. They believed they had time to save, because they were to be granted “first option” to buy. They, however, weren’t given this opportunity. Instead the landlord didn’t sign and return the lease because he had decided to sell to someone else.

Meanwhile, the Pandemic and the Writer’s strike decimated commercial industries like Matt’s. With fewer shows on air, fewer props and decorations were needed. The two most recent years vary wildly in how much was made financially.

Recently, the Chops were told to pack up an enormous space filled with art, props, tools and cats, and find a new home. This was the building in which the Chops would build beautiful spaces for all of us to come together and feel safe and relaxed. Without time to prepare, they are facing a hard real estate market and soaring prices. They don’t qualify for a FHA loan (3.5% down) because of the good year they had before this year. Now they need 10% down for a house under $650,000, in LA.

Those of us who know and love the Chops will do what we can, but we hope those of you who have never met them, but wish you could - will help them also. We would love to see them surrounded with love and blessed beyond their wildest dreams, with safety, security, and a sense of home again.

Funding will go towards - in order of priority:

Deposit toward renting or buying a two bedroom home in LA (where the work is), with a garage for Matt’s studio and a yard for making the larger pieces.

Moving help

Money to develop the new space

To our Friends:

I really wanted to make this GoFundMe to give back and help Matt and Bronwen who have done so much to help me and many others.

They are going through a really hard and stressful time of having their lives completely uprooted unexpectedly. Even though it was expensive and time consuming, they continued to host events for us because of how much it meant to them and us to be together and have that space.

Matt and Bronwen have been such an integral part of many of our lives. They've provided a safe and fun space that brought many of us together to form lifelong friendships. I know that my life changed dramatically the first time I went to a Chop's event, and I truly felt a deep sense of belonging. I had finally found my people, my home and family away from home.

These incredible humans have given so much to their community even if it meant going into more debt to take care of and host their friends. Friends and family mean everything to them and it truly shows in their actions.

Let's band together and help raise some funds to help Matt and Bronwen find and settle into the perfect home in which we can all come together again and share in all the joy and memories that are yet to come. Family sticks together.

When you donate to Matt and Bronwen, you're not just donating to a couple trying to buy a home. You are donating to a place that changes lives. You're donating to a space where misfits feel safe, accepted, and can fully be their silly, fun selves surrounded with kindness. This is not just a couple's home, it's the heart of a community.