Page 22 - C.A.L.L. #29 - Winter 2007

Members cook two meals a day that are shared in the central dining area. Television is prohibited,
but not entertainment recorded on CDs, DVDs or the Internet. Otherwise, they entertain
themselves. On a recent night, a group gathered at sunset and waited 30 minutes to watch the
primroses open, Ghoshal said. "We do a lot of creating our own culture here -- engaging each
other."

Asked why the community survived when others failed, many residents point unabashedly to an
early source of steady income from an arrangement with Pier 1 Imports. Twin Oaks made rope
hammocks for the retailer, which parlayed its line of alternative home furnishings and accessories
to upscale chic. At the height of the arrangement, the 42,000 hammocks Twin Oakers wove
accounted for up to two-fifths of the $500,000 the community earned per year. "We would not
have survived without them," said Ghoshal, 31. "We were very lucky to find a source of income so
early." But Pier 1 dropped Twin Oaks as a hammock supplier in August 2004.

When it did, the
community slashed
spending and work quotas
and lived with less until its
income rebounded with the
expansion of other
industries. Twin Oaks
residents are considering a
recent offer from Pier 1 to
buy 6,000 hammocks per
year. If they accept, the
arrangement would occupy
a much smaller share of the
community's income than
in the past, because of its
expanded tofu business.
th
Photo taken at Twin Oaks’ 40 birthday celebration
Residents don't consider
their arrangement utopia.
The intimacy can be a negative if personalities clash and if some residents don't get along. Living
and working closely with others presents a problem when you disagree sharply with a decision-
maker, Shal said. "It's not a problem if I dislike a politician, because I don't have to live with them,"
he said. "Here, when people make decisions I don't like, I have to live with them. That can make
you want to go away." And people do -- about 15 a year.

Kat Kinkade, a Twin Oaks founder whose leadership is often cited for the commune's success, said
people leave for a variety of reasons: Unfulfilled ideals. Inability to make a romantic connection.
Aversion to the work. A nasty argument with a resident. "And we just didn't know what to do
about it [the bad blood]," Kinkade said from her home in Mineral. She left in 2000 because she was
tired of it. Ties to Twin Oaks are easy to make and break, said Kinkade, 76. "You don't have to pay
to get in, and you don't have much to lose when you leave." Like many former residents, she
maintains a close relationship with current ones.

During its four decades, Twin Oaks has also developed an extensive code of community by-laws
governing use of community bikes, how to check out the community cars and the extensive
process of complaint, hearing and advocacy by which a resident can be kicked out. Two such
proceedings were initiated in the past decade, but residents didn't have to see them though
because the people chose to leave after complaints were made, said Paxus Calta, a 10-year Twin
Oaks resident and husband of Hawina. "Typically, you've already poisoned your relationship with a
significant number of people, and it's not comfortable any more," he said. The by-laws help to
diffuse accountability while achieving community goals, said Keenan, a 24-year resident. "We don't
rely on personality to get things done or solve problems," he said. "What we try to do is create a
system that supports where we want to go."

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