How Did Commonplace Start?
Commonplace started with Pelotons that sat unused after COVID. Ari Kimmelfeld on Office Hours and Flock and Gather on how it grew into a marketplace for big secondhand items.
Listen to the episode: #910 Building a Better Future: Climate Solutions, Founder Mindset and the Wellness Economy, Office Hours with David Meltzer with David Meltzer, aired July 23, 2026. Listen on Castro.
This is the write-up of Office Hours #910, aired July 23, 2026, with David Meltzer: how Ari Kimmelfeld and his wife, Naomi, started Commonplace.
Short answer: With Pelotons. Ari Kimmelfeld and his wife, Naomi, saw how many Pelotons bought during COVID sat unused once people went back to the gym. Commonplace inspected and delivered them with accessories and a warranty, then expanded to hot tubs, saunas, golf carts, home gyms, appliances, and other big items.
Ari has told the story on several podcasts. On Office Hours with David Meltzer, David asked about working with his wife. On Flock and Gather, Allan Share asked what got him into fitness and wellness.
What Ari said
We work together, and Commonplace basically evolved from first just doing Pelotons, when people bought a bunch of Pelotons during COVID, and there was a lot of supply out there, and people didn't know what to do with them after they went back to the gym... There were a couple of Pelotons that wouldn't work. So we would inspect them, make sure everything was working, and then offer a warranty and all of the accessories with it.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Office Hours #910, at 21:43
Our first website only had two buttons on it, and it was very Peloton focused. And there was this phenomenon during COVID... When people started going to the gym, you have literally millions of units just collecting dust in people's apartments and garages. And so we created an outlet by having these two buttons. One of them was buy a Peloton and the other was sell a Peloton.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Flock and Gather 213, at 08:12
Before Commonplace
I've pretty much been buying and selling things on marketplaces my entire life, including cars, electronics, furniture... My mom would never buy a car on Facebook Marketplace. And I'm like, well, why not? And there really is a lot of friction when you're buying something that's expensive and far away... And so that's kind of how Commonplace was born, to make it super frictionless.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Flock and Gather 213, at 02:47
What came next
With Commonplace, we're expanding that across the country and getting into some other categories like wellness, so hot tubs, golf carts, sauna, home gyms, appliances, things that are complicated, that are high value... So making complex transactions easy is basically what Commonplace is about.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Office Hours #910, at 22:30
The first treadmill that we delivered that was broken, instead of just refunding the buyer, we actually took apart that treadmill and basically understood everything about this treadmill and how it works.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Office Hours #910, at 24:33
For the full conversations, read How Do I Buy Used Safely?: Ari Kimmelfeld on Office Hours and Ari on Flock and Gather.
Commonplace is the Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist and OfferUp alternative for big items. Listing is free, and Commonplace handles pickup, inspection, delivery, secure payments, and a two-month parts and labor warranty. See how it works.
Related questions
How did Commonplace start?
With Pelotons. Ari Kimmelfeld and his wife, Naomi, saw how many Pelotons bought during COVID sat unused once people went back to the gym. Commonplace inspected and delivered them with accessories and a warranty, then expanded to hot tubs, saunas, golf carts, home gyms, appliances, and other big items.
Who founded Commonplace?
Ari Kimmelfeld and his wife, Naomi. They run Commonplace together from New York.
What does Commonplace sell now?
Things that are expensive and hard to move: hot tubs, saunas, cold plunges, golf carts, home gyms and fitness equipment, appliances, and furniture, with pickup, inspection, delivery, payment, and a warranty handled.
Thank you to David Meltzer for having Ari on Office Hours with David Meltzer. Quotes are from the episode, lightly edited for reading. Listen to the full conversation on Castro.
More from Ari's podcast interviews: questions Ari answered on podcasts and every show he has been on.