Entrepreneur, filmmaker, and novelist Jonathan Bricklin discusses his latest project: reviving the Little People Social Club in New York City. Bricklin, who co-founded SPiN ping pong social clubs and opened a Western-themed pickleball saloon in Texas, explains the club will be designed and scaled for little people but open to everyone, featuring a speakeasy entrance, a low-counter main bar, classic parlor games (billiards, ping pong, shuffleboard, foosball, air hockey, backgammon, chess, darts), duckpin bowling, a disco dance floor, and a curated puppet theater.

Our conversation also focused on inclusion and the lack of accommodations for little people, and Jonathan outlines membership options including founding, annual, and week-long passes priced by height. He partnered with UK creator Fats Timbo in this endeavor and is still deciding between two potential locations and expects clarity closer to December.

[00:00] Meet Jonathan Bricklin

[01:59] Little People Club Origin

[03:38] Designing the Space

[05:58] Open to Everyone

[07:29] Partnering with Fats Timbo

[09:37] From SPIN to Saloon

[11:45] Membership and Pricing

[13:28] Photos and Visual Style

[15:01] Why Physical Connection Matters

[18:50] Dance Floor and Pitch

[20:17] Opening Plans and Pushback

[23:21] Hosts Reflect and Wrap

Takeaways:

• We chatted with Jonathan Bricklin about the Little People Social Club — a practical, scaled social space designed for little people but cheerfully open to everyone.
• The club's quirky features — a speakeasy entrance, very low bar, ping pong, duck pin bowling, puppet theater, and a disco dance floor — all meant to spark real-life conversations.
• A fun bit of serendipity: Jonathan found and partnered with Fat Timbo via ChatGPT to get authentic little-person design input and avoid tokenizing the project.
• The business reality: there simply aren’t huge local populations of little people, so memberships, visitor curiosity, and broader public support are critical for financial sustainability.
• Accessibility and inclusion — designing for little people is like adding curb cuts: it corrects an overlooked everyday barrier and normalizes diverse bodies in public spaces.
• This isn’t a gimmick or exploitation plot — while we hope it succeeds financially, the main aim is to create lasting social connections and celebrate cultural diversity.

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This is Season 9! For more episodes, go to stlintune.com

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