Pacific Urban Investors picked up a seven-story apartment building in Koreatown for $139 million — $50 million less than it sold for seven years ago.

The Palo Alto-based investor bought Next on Sixth, a 398-unit complex at 620 South Virgil Avenue, Bisnow and CoStar News reported. The seller was Chicago-based real estate investment trust Equity Residential.

The deal for the nine-year-old building works out to nearly $349,250 per unit, not including the 20,000-square-foot retail store. The brokers involved in the sale were not disclosed.

Equity bought the building in 2019 for $189 million, or nearly $474,900 per unit.

The deal was the second largest of the year in Los Angeles County behind Holland Partner Group’s February purchase of a 344-unit apartment building in Duarte for $141 million, or nearly $410,000 per unit.

Next on Sixth was built in 2017 by Century West Partners, a joint venture by Fifield Companies and Cypress Equity, which paid $20.8 million for the site. The firm, led by Michael Sorochinsky, then became embroiled in a $315,000 contractor’s dispute over unpaid work.

The luxury apartment complex includes a Target retail location, a fitness center, coffee bar, screening room and an indoor simulated golf range. Its studio, one- and two-bedroom units, with hardwood floors and floor-to-ceiling windows, rent for between $1,907 and $3,770 a month, according to Redfin.

The average rent in Koreatown stands at $1,970 per month, 18 percent below the average for greater Los Angeles, according to CoStar data. Vacancy is just above the regional average, at 5.9 percent. 

Equity Residential said the heavily discounted Next on Sixth sale was part of its strategy to sell “older, capital-intensive assets or assets [within] heavy concentrations” to pay for stock buybacks and other priorities, Equity Residential CEO Mark Parrell said on the company’s first-quarter earnings call. 

The REIT owns three other residential buildings in Koreatown, which range from 200 to 300 units. 

Equity Residential and AvalonBay Communities announced in May that they would merge into a new company with a $69 billion multifamily behemoth with 180,000 units and 10,800 units in the pipeline. The merger, with a projected $52 billion equity market capitalization, is expected to close this year.

Landlords across the nation struggle with high supply, low rent growth and operating costs that outpace rental incomes, with a local exodus of mom-and-pop shops.

Pacific Urban Investors, founded in 1998 by Alfred Pace and George Marcus, has $9.3 billion in assets under management, including 23,500 apartments in 15 states, according to its website.

– Dana Bartholomew

Read more

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Thousands of Tartan Army members flooded Boston this month for Scotland’s matches against Haiti and Morocco, marking the team’s first World Cup appearance since 1998.

​It’s no surprise that Scotland’s passionate fans have left their mark on Boston—quite literally.

​From fans rallying through Fenway Park after Scotland’s historic win, chanting “Flower of Scotland,” to bagpipes sounding at 6 a.m. and local bars running out of Samuel Adams Boston Lager, Bostonians have been treated to true Scottish pride. Fortunately, locals seem to have taken a major liking to their transatlantic visitors.

​Navigating expensive hotels and a tight short-term rental market can be daunting for global travelers. Yet Boston stood out by offering warmth and resourcefulness during the FIFA World Cup.

​“I feel like it’s a perfect match. Boston and Scotland, we got the same sort of humor and we all like to party,” Scottish musician Callum Beattie told CBS Boston.

Cones and chaos

​One of the most prominent cultural traditions the Tartan Army brought to New England is placing large, orange traffic cones on the heads of famous Boston statues. Locals quickly noticed these bright cone hats appearing on the Paul Revere Statue, the Make Way for Ducklings statue, and many others.

​The practice dates back to the 1980s, when Scottish revelers began scaling the statue of Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, in Glasgow to crown him and his horse, Copenhagen, with cones.

​While the Glasgow City Council initially tried to remove the “vandalism,” more cones kept popping up in their place.

​“Now it’s just our famous statue with a cone on its head. Lots of tourists come to take pictures of it, so that’s why everyone’s doing it to your statues here,” Billy McKechnie, a Tartan Army member, explained in an interview with CBS News.

​Local residents have fully embraced the chaos.

​“Even if we don’t have the World Cup, they should still come back every year,” one Bostonian said in a Boston 25 News clip.

​“If I can bring all the Scots here … I would, in a heartbeat,” another said.

​From sliding down the famous Boston Cop Slide to trying Moxie soda for the first time, fans fully immersed themselves in local lore. Despite the rowdy celebrations, they made sure to pay respect to their host city.

​“I’m one person cleaning after them, man, and it ain’t that bad. … They like our city, so I’m happy they came,” one Boston city worker said in an NBC Boston video clip.

​The mutual love affair between Boston and Scotland has gone so far that Boston Mayor Michelle Wu initiated the process to establish an official sister-city relationship with Glasgow. The announcement was fittingly made at The Haven, a popular Scottish pub in Boston’s Jamaica Plain neighborhood.

​“We are both cities that are champions of arts, culture, and innovation, but we are also both willing to fight for it,” Wu said in an NBC article.

​So, what other cities are matching Boston’s World Cup hospitality?

Realtor.com® has identified the top U.S. cities where the local community isn’t just tolerating the massive influx of tourists—they are actively welcoming them and throwing the party of a lifetime.

​Spreading World Cup fever to Rhode Island

​Due to the massive influx of visitors and Boston’s steep hotel prices, many Scottish fans headed to Providence, RI, to set up camp.

​“This has been one of the most fun eight days in the city of Providence in a long time, and that is due in no small part to our new best friends from Scotland,” Providence Mayor Brett Smiley told WJAR.

​To show their appreciation, Scottish fans donated $10,000 to Hasbro Children’s Hospital, $6,500 to the Rhode Island Highlanders Pipe Band, and $5,000 to the “Tartan Trek” for men’s mental health.

​“We hope to leave a place a little better than we found it. We try to give something back to the community that hosts us,” Scottish fan Ian Cox said.

​Philadelphia

​Philadelphia has hosted four World Cup matches so far: Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador on June 14, Brazil vs. Haiti on June 19, France vs. Iraq on June 22, and Curacao vs. Ghana on June 25.

​The city experienced some high-volume enthusiasm during the second match, when thousands of fans gathered at the iconic Philadelphia Museum of Art steps for a massive pregame rally.​

“Visitors from around the globe have brought incredible energy to Center City, and our team in teal has been ready to welcome them every step of the way,” Center City District President and CEO Prema Katari Gupta said in a press release. “From helping visitors navigate the city to distributing nearly 30,000 maps, we’re helping people discover more of Philadelphia.”

Ecuadorian fan Daniel Andrade told Fox News that he was completely “in love” with the city, while Reuters captured viral footage of Brazilian fans trying their first classic Philly cheesesteaks.

​“Philadelphia has spent years preparing for this moment, and over the past week, we have seen the best of our city on display,” Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker said. “From welcoming visitors to keeping people safe, Philadelphians have shown the hospitality, service, and pride that define our city. We are grateful for their efforts and excited about everything still to come.”

Philadelphia’s next match will take place on June 27.

Seattle

​Ranked by The Athletic as having the top World Cup stadium, Lumen Field, Seattle is easily defining itself as one of the friendliest U.S. World Cup cities.

​Simon Hughes from The Athletic wrote he “cannot think of a stadium in the world that feels so connected to the city it belongs to.”

​Michelle Esteban from KOMO News noted that the fans she talked to “are talking about just how the city has really responded and embraced this, really been very hospitable to folks that are coming into town, making people feel safe.”

​During the USA vs. Australia match on June 19, over 15,000 American fans and 8,000 Australian fans marched through the streets together in a massive joint rally. A nearby watch party in Bellevue kept the momentum going.

​“It was a great community celebration,” Jesse Canedo, Bellevue’s chief economic development officer, said in an article from The Seattle Times. “It felt like a neighborhood block party, with people wandering through, lots of neighbors saying ‘hello.’ Which is exactly what we were going for.”

​But Seattle isn’t just ranking at the top for venues, it’s also for bar crawls.

​Bradley Howe, owner of the Kangaroo and Kiwi pub, revealed that all the Australian fans made him run out of beer, getting eight deliveries in four days, and even having to go on a Costco run when the delivery service couldn’t keep up with the demand.

​”It’s been incredible, but this is what you live for when you open a bar,” Howe said in a Fox article. “You want craziness, you want people, you want fun, you want all the madness.”

​Seattle’s next match will take place on July 1.

New Jersey/New York

​New York is quickly ridding itself of its “unfriendly” stereotype during the World Cup.

​Ahead of the Norway vs. Senegal match, hundreds of Norwegian fans gathered in the heart of Times Square to perform their traditional synchronized rowing chant, bringing the celebration and their culture to New York. They gathered again for the row when Norway beat Senegal 3-2 on the grass of the New York/New Jersey stadium.  

​The phenomenon became so popular that Norwegian fans were invited on “Good Morning America” for a live Viking row demonstration.

​But Norwegian fans aren’t the only ones loving FIFA in the Big Apple. One Scottish fan praised New York City for its friendliness in a CBS interview.

​“You hear a lot of things about it abroad. The reputation is it’s not very friendly, but everyone has been absolutely great to us,” he said. “Honestly, it’s all been happy surprises, the police have been good with us, the transport has been really good, people have paid for meals, people have paid for drinks. American hospitality is the greatest in the world.”

​The New York-New Jersey stadium will host the FIFA Final on July 19.

Atlanta

As expected, Atlanta’s southern hospitality has won over the hearts of World Cup fans visiting for matches.

Martin Carrion from Ecuador said in an Atlanta News First article that he was “glad to see a bunch of people from all over the place. That’s what makes this great. Plus, a great city with a great atmosphere.”

​Martin Resendz from Mexico described the city’s environment as “out of this world.”

​However, perhaps none of them loved the city as much as German internet personality Freddy, according to Alive.

​Traveling across the Atlantic for various World Cup matches, Freddy documented his first stop in Atlanta.

His viral posts showing him trying Waffle House and exploring the city gathered praise from American followers tired of seeing European tourists critique the U.S. online.

​“So happy to see a European actually visit America and enjoy it while the snobbish homebody ones who have never stepped foot in this country derail it like they are experts,” one commenter said.

​Atlanta’s last World Cup match will take place on June 27 between DR Congo and Uzbekistan.

The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate has dipped by 28 basis points compared to this time last year, now sitting at 6.49%. While this might sound like a small shift, it could be the breathing room some potential homeowners and refinancers have been waiting for.

I’ve been following the mortgage market for a while now, and these kinds of shifts, even if they seem minor on the surface, can have real ripple effects. It’s easy to get lost in the numbers, but what does this particular drop really signal for anyone thinking about buying a home or restructuring their current mortgage? From my perspective, it’s a mixed bag, offering some relief but also highlighting the persistent economic forces at play.

30-Year Fixed Mortgage Rate is Down by 28 Basis Points Year Over Year

A Closer Look at the Numbers: Freddie Mac’s Latest Survey

The data we’re talking about comes straight from Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS), a respected source for mortgage rate trends across the U.S. They recently reported that the average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage has settled at 6.49%. This is a noticeable step down from the 6.77% we saw exactly one year ago.

However, it’s not all smooth sailing. If you look at the last week, the rate actually ticked up by a small margin – 2 basis points – from 6.47% to 6.49%. This stagnation over the past six weeks, hovering stubbornly around the 6.5% mark, tells its own story, largely driven by persistent inflation worries and what people are expecting from the Federal Reserve.

To give you a clearer picture, let’s break down how this year-over-year change looks for different loan types:

Loan Type	Current Weekly Average	Rate One Year Ago	Year-Over-Year Change
30-Year Fixed	6.49%	6.77%	-0.28% (-28 bps)
15-Year Fixed	5.84%	5.89%	-0.05% (-5 bps)

As you can see, the 30-year fixed has seen the most significant year-over-year drop among these popular options.

What’s Really Moving the Market? My Take on the Driving Forces

So, why aren’t rates just plummeting, even with this year-over-year improvement? From what I’m observing, a few key factors are keeping things in check:

• Stubborn Inflation: This is the big one. Recent economic reports suggest that inflation isn’t cooling off as quickly as we’d hoped. This makes the bond market nervous. When inflation is high, the value of future returns decreases, so investors demand higher yields on bonds. This “higher-for-longer” interest rate expectation is definitely capping any drastic drops in mortgage rates. I’ve seen this play out before – if inflation is sticky, the Fed tends to keep interest rates elevated to try and bring it under control, and mortgage rates follow suit.
• Treasury Yields as a Compass: Mortgage rates don’t exist in a vacuum. They tend to move in close step with the yields on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note. Right now, the 10-year Treasury yield has been hovering around the 4.4% range. This alignment means that as long as Treasury yields stay relatively stable or only dip slightly, mortgage rates will likely mirror that behavior, preventing any dramatic freefalls.
• Shifting Borrower Needs: It’s interesting to see how people are reacting. While the overall pace of home purchases has slowed a bit (which is understandable when rates are higher than many hoped), Freddie Mac is noticing an uptick in refinancing activity. This makes sense! If you bought a home when rates were higher, or if you’re looking to tap into home equity, even a modest drop like this can translate into significant savings on your monthly payments. It’s a smart move for those who can benefit.

Navigating the Current Rate Environment: What I Recommend

Given this situation, where rates are down year-over-year but a bit stagnant week-to-week, here are some actionable steps I’d suggest:

• Lock Your Rate: If you’re deep in the home-buying process and have an accepted offer, don’t wait. Mortgage rates can swing by a quarter of a percent or more in a single day. Talk to your lender today about getting a rate lock. This secures a specific rate for you for a set period, protecting you from any upward movement while you finalize your purchase. I always tell my clients to be proactive here.
• Keep an Eye on the Refinance Window: If you purchased your home within the last couple of years, especially when rates were closer to their peak (think 7% or even 8%), a rate around 6.49% might be a golden opportunity to refinance. Even a half-percentage-point drop can save you hundreds of dollars per month over the life of your loan. Do the math – it might be worth it.
• Shop Around and Compare: This is crucial and something many people overlook. Lenders don’t all offer the same rates or fees. Even a small difference in the advertised rate can add up to thousands of dollars over 30 years. I strongly advise getting quotes from at least three to four different lenders. Use online tools like NerdWallet or Bankrate to get a sense of daily averages, but always have direct conversations with lenders.

The Bottom Line: A Modest Improvement, But Context is Key

So, what does this all add up to? The fact that the 30-year fixed mortgage rate is down 28 basis points year-over-year is good news, plain and simple. It signals a more favorable environment than we had a year ago. However, the recent week-over-week uptick and the overall stability around 6.5% remind us that we’re still in a market shaped by economic uncertainties, particularly inflation.

For buyers, this drop might make homeownership slightly more accessible than it was last year, potentially lowering monthly payments. For those considering refinancing, it’s definitely a window worth watching. It’s not a dramatic crash that would send rates to historic lows, but it’s a tangible improvement that can make a difference. My advice? Stay informed, be prepared to act quickly when the opportunity arises, and always do your homework.

Compass Florida is facing a proposed class action lawsuit in Palm Beach County over a $475 transaction fee that two Florida homebuyers allege was improperly added to their purchase contract and collected at closing.

The lawsuit, filed June 23 by Jeff and Milissa Efron, accuses Compass Florida of unfair and deceptive business practices tied to what the complaint describes as an undisclosed flat fee charged to buyer clients. The Efrons, who bought a North Palm Beach property in August 2024 using a Compass agent, allege they were told their buyer agent would be paid through the commission paid by the seller, but later paid Compass a $475 “flat transaction commission” at closing.

The complaint alleges that Compass inserted the fee into an “additional terms” section of a Florida Realtors and Florida Bar-approved residential purchase contract. The plaintiffs argue that the modification was not an approved contract change and amounted to the unauthorized practice of law by a non-lawyer.

The suit brings claims under the Florida Consumer Collection Practices Act and the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. It seeks class-action status on behalf of Florida buyers who paid a similar Compass transaction fee during the four years before the complaint was filed, along with damages, attorney fees, injunctive relief and the return of allegedly improper fees.

The complaint alleges those buyers were charged “an illegitimate, deceptive and unfair flat fee or transaction fee” that was disclosed through a modification to a Florida Realtors and Florida Bar-approved purchase contract and then collected at closing.

In a statement to Inman, Compass defended the use of transaction fees as common across the industry.

“This has been standard practice in major markets, including Chicago, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., for years, and is done by many other brands in the industry,” a Compass spokesperson said.

The lawsuit comes amid heightened scrutiny over agent compensation and disclosure across the brokerage industry. In its 2025 annual report, Compass said it generates revenue from its owned-brokerage business through its share of agents’ gross sales commissions and “certain other fees, such as flat transaction commission fees.” The Florida lawsuit, however, focuses on a transaction that closed in August 2024, before Compass reportedly expanded transaction fees more broadly this year.

Email AJ LaTrace

Marcus & Millichap finalized the sale of a net-leased bank property occupied by the headquarters and flagship branch of Ponce Bank, located at 2244 Westchester Ave. in the Bronx. The asset sold for $16,250,000.

“This property drew tremendous interest as it was a true management-free NNN investment with annual increases,” said Steven Siegel of Marcus & Millichap’s New York office. “Unlike most other single-tenant properties, this was a large parcel with significant future development potential, in addition to being right by the subway. We created a competitive bidding environment, and in the final stage, three buyers aggressively pushed the price up and the cap down to 6.1%. Ultimately, we selected an all-cash 1031 buyer.”

Siegel exclusively marketed the property on behalf of the seller, Arc Trust. The buyer, completing a 1031 exchange, was procured by Judson Kauffman of Surmont. Ponce Bank has occupied the property for 25 years.

🏆 New Building: The largest new development to secure permits last week was in West Adams, where plans were filed to build a 10,500-square-foot structure at 2140 to 2142 South Rimpau Boulevard. The project will be a four-story duplex with attached storage.

Job Filing Number: 25010-10000-06490

📊 New Building: In Venice, a two-story project that will feature a single-family home with an attached two-car garage and an accessory dwelling unit received permits. The plans filed are to build an about 7,000-square-foot structure at 805 to 807 South 6th Avenue.

Job Filing Number: 24010-10000-05219

📊New Building: In Pacific Palisades, a wildfire rebuild at 1036 North Monument Street secured permits. The approximately 6,000-square-foot project includes a two-story single-family home with an attached garage and a basement.

Job Filing Number: 26010-30000-01057

🏆Alteration: Pacific Palisades had the top alteration project to score permits last week at 1020 North Las Lomas Avenue, where plans were filed for a more than 4,000-square-foot single family home.

Job Filing Number: 25010-30001-05815

👀Notable alteration: Another alteration to score permits last week was in downtown Los Angeles at City National Plaza at 555 South Flower Street, where plans were filed to undertake an $8 million tenant improvement project. The work spans multiple floors of the existing high-rise office building owned by the California Public Employees’ Retirement System and CommonWealth Partners. The square footage was not disclosed.

Job Filing Number: 26016-10000-03567

 👀Notable alteration: In Porter Ranch, plans were filed for a more than $1 million tenant improvement at 19819 West Rinaldi Street. The project involves work on an existing retail spot and the installation of new high-pile storage racks. The square footage was not disclosed.

Job Filing Number: 26016-20000-08672

👀Notable demolition: A demolition request received permits in North Hollywood, where plans were filed to knock down a commercial building at 6315 North Laurel Canyon Boulevard. The property is owned by Charles Company, which purchased it for $27 million in 2015.

Job Filing Number: 24019-30000-03824

Progressive Real Estate Partners has closed the $6-million, off-market acquisition of Allmark Plaza, 16,926-square-foot multi-tenant unanchored neighborhood retail center located at 10060-10080 Arrow Route in Rancho Cucamonga, to an Orange County-based private investor. VP of investment sales Lance Mordachini and VP of retail leasing and sales Monica Dal Bianco-West represented the buyer.  The seller, Allmark Property Management, represented itself.

“The buyer was attracted to Allmark Plaza because it checked the boxes that matter most in today’s market: strong historical occupancy, replaceable rents, a diverse rent roll, and a quality Rancho Cucamonga location,” said Mordachini. “At a $6 million purchase price and a 6.91% cap rate, we viewed this as a compelling opportunity to acquire a well-located, fully occupied retail asset with durable long-term fundamentals.”

Built in 1986, Allmark Plaza offers convenient access to the I-10 and I-210 Freeways. The center is 100% occupied by a diverse tenant mix ranging from Domino’s Pizza to a dental office.

   

When Serena Ryan and Justin Walsh first had the idea to launch a hostel in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, their goal was twofold: one, to live in an environment they had fallen in love with; and two, to fulfill a vital need in the hiking community.

Serena, 37, had been reading a memoir about the Appalachian Trail when she learned there was a shortage of clean accommodations for people in Woodstock, NH. It was an area the then-couple knew well. Serena traveled there every weekend, her bags packed and loaded into the car by Thursday night like clockwork.  

Justin, 40, was also hooked on the White Mountains, but, working construction, didn’t think it possible to find full-time employment there.

“I didn’t have any dream of owning a hostel until Serena suggested it,” he says. “But I desperately wanted to live in the White Mountains.”

He went online immediately, and the first house he found for sale happened to check a lot of boxes. “It was the first place I saw and the only one I looked at,” he says.

Building a business mountainside

Built in 1890, the home was 3,590 square feet and needed some work. Fortunately, a quirk in the area’s laws allowed them to bypass a lot of red tape. 

The town lacked any zoning laws, so they didn’t have to petition to get the home zoned commercial.

“That’s unheard of to have a town with no zoning,” Ryan says.

Moreover, it was the last house in town to be connected to town water and sewage, which saved them the astronomical cost of installing a septic to meet the needs of a hotel-like property.

Ryan and Walsh closed on the property in October 2014, buying it for $290,000 using a residential home loan, putting down 20%, or $58,000. They took out a personal line of credit to pay for $60,000 in renovations, transforming the five-bedroom, seven-bath home into a 30-bed hostel.

The biggest expense was adding a fire-suppression system, costing around $25,000. They also learned they had to install a second water line from the street to the property, which any accommodation housing 16 or more people needs. However, the county granted them a time buffer, letting them add that after they’d been open for a year and not only had the money, but knew the business was viable.

The big pay off 

After purchasing the home, Serena, Justin, and a group of their friends spent every weekend for the next six months renovating the property. Both Serena and Justin had full-time jobs that they weren’t ready to give up, so balancing it all proved taxing.

Serena also was working to spread word of the opening, making sure the property, which they named the Notch Hostel, would be in the 2015 AWOL, the guidebook that Appalachian Trail thru-hikers relied on at the time; now hikers turn to the Farout app to find accommodations, clean water, and other support.

Her efforts worked. The opened in July 2015 and had 100% occupancy. They’d even hosted a few folks leading up to the big day, as the need for beds was so great.

“We had no idea we would be that busy that quickly,” Ryan says. In their first year, they grossed upward of $100,000.

“For us, that felt awesome,” says Ryan. “We were just trying to live for free in the White Mountains.”

‘Making money was never the goal’

The hostel has grown over the years, and now employs two full-time workers, and two seasonal part-timers. Walsh and Ryan have separated, and she bought him out after the divorce. Now, Ryan runs the business.

Their profits are rising, but so are expenses.

“Most people who are seeking out hostels do so because they don’t want to spend money on a hotel,” she says. “We are trying to keep the pricing at a number that our clientele can afford and feels fair but also covers expenses like the gas to run the daily shuttle to pick people up at the trail.”

Notch Hostel does well, especially for a hostel, but Ryan is quick to point out this isn’t a get-rich investment plan.

“A lot of hostels—their finances look more like those of a nonprofit,” she says. “If you’re looking to make a million dollars, don’t start a hostel in the White Mountains.”

But for Ryan, “Making money was never the goal.”

In addition to serving the hikers and other outdoor enthusiasts, the vision has expanded to focus on community. 

“It’s about creating a welcoming, inclusive community, which people desperately need in 2026,” she says. “We do a lot of work focusing on racial justice and outdoor equity.”

Notch is committed to being a safe space for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ guests. They offer “promo codes for guests from communities that have experienced historic or present-day economic disenfranchisement.” Members of groups such as Outdoor Afro, Latino Outdoors, Brown Girls Climb, and other BIPOC affinity organizations are invited to contact the hostel for a promo code.

In 2020, Ryan founded Summits in Solidarity, a nonprofit that works to foster justice and equity for BIPOC, amplify their voices in outdoor spaces and support anti-oppression and anti-racist efforts. One of the group’s biggest events is the annual Hike-A-Thon where participants hike to raise money for BIPOC-led justice work.

Notch offers free or discounted retreats for groups, especially those in marginalized communities, looking for retreats but who can’t afford standard rates. The hostel also serves as a community event space where people can learn about outdoor recreation in the White Mountains.

“I don’t think we ever would have imagined just how much of a community hub it is,” Ryan says. “That’s what a hostel is—a community space.”

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