Dinner Parties And Dog Bereavement

Short note this week (and more of an ask).

Last Friday at a dinner party, the concept of fame came up in conversation, naturally leading to the question, "What would you want to be famous for, and why?" Reading the room, the first few to answer played it safe: backcountry skiing, sourdough pizza making, contemporary literature. Then the next handful upped the ante: celebrity impersonations, indexing Zillow, and even pimple popping (lol).

But the standout answer was from my British friend, who declared she'd like to be famous for dog bereavement. Even better, she revealed she's currently writing a book compiling heartfelt stories of favorite memories with beloved pets who've passed. We spent the next 30 minutes on the subject, exchanging (sometimes bizarre) stories about the mourning process.

It turns out this game is 1) a hilarious dinner party activity, 2) a quick way to learn a lot about someone, and 3) highly illuminating about the quantity and variety of weird, niche interests out there.

We constantly meet creators building communities and businesses around unusual niches. More often than not, these are far bigger than anticipated — measured by the sheer number of passionate individuals, the intensity of their emotional investment, or the surprising amount of money spent within the space.

One of my favorite examples of this is Cricut, the billion-dollar market cap company you've likely never heard of. I first encountered their cutting machine at another dinner party, where the owner brought it along "just in case anyone wanted to play with it" — a fantastic, if not ridiculous, sign of a passionate community. Cricut sells digital cutting machines that precisely cut materials like paper, vinyl, fabric, and leather for DIY projects via its design app. Obviously, Cricut has no shortage of dedicated fans despite its narrow focus.

So here’s my ask: If you have an unusual niche interest that consumes an irrational amount of your time and/or money — and if you also follow a favorite creator within this niche — please reply and let me know.

Examples could include:

And speaking of niches with passionate communities, I’ll be back next week covering one of these… and sharing an exciting announcement :)

— Megan