As Secret Spot prepared for its closing, the founders of the beloved art and music lounge reflected on the importance of community
By LAILA AZHAR — features@theaggie.org
On June 5, from 4 to 9 p.m., a funeral was held on D Street. Guests were encouraged to either dress in a goth style or in strange and wacky clothing. There was a DJ, a handmade coffin and a funeral procession.
This is how Secret Spot, the beloved art and music lounge located at 117 D St., said goodbye to the Davis community.
For the past year, the lounge has been a unique part of Davis’ art scene. Visitors could purchase work by local artists or simply relax and take in the lounge’s vibrant, eclectic atmosphere. The space hosted workshops on everything from comic drawing to sock puppetry.
Originally, Secret Spot began as a studio tucked behind The Wardrobe — quite literally a secret spot. When The Wardrobe moved locations, co-founders Toni Rizzo, Harry Greer and Stephanie Peel saw an opportunity to bring their project into a more public space.
As they reflect on the lounge’s closing, Rizzo and Greer appreciate the ways in which it deepened their connection to their local community.
“People would come in [to display their art] and I’d be like: ‘I recognize you! You’re my grocery store checkout person — you made this? I had no idea!’” Greer said.
The founders got to watch as friendships formed, bands were created and first dates unfolded.
“That really was the goal,” Rizzo said. “We wanted a space to actively uplift artists. Especially both of us being from Davis, we’ve seen the art scene for so long, and we wanted to provide the opportunities that we wish that we had when we were younger.”
However, it wasn’t long before they faced serious challenges. Just a few months after opening the expanded lounge, Rizzo was hit by a car while biking downtown, leaving her seriously injured.
“With the state of American healthcare, not only could we not stop working and Toni couldn’t do any healing because of that — we just had no opportunities for doctors,” Greer said.
Alongside health and financial struggles, Rizzo pointed to a broader cultural shift that made things even more difficult.
“We’ve had this huge switchover to everybody staying home, just using technology for the most part, not going out into the world and finding community as much,” Rizzo said. “We have a good friend who runs another local business that says our main competition isn’t each other, it’s Netflix. It’s people staying home and not going out and interacting with the actual physical location they live in. And that’s been a pretty evident uphill battle for us.”
Despite these challenges, the team feels at peace with Secret Spot’s closing.
“We’re out here learning and every failure is a new thing that you’ve learned and is just going to help towards the next thing you do,” Rizzo said. “Nobody should take it personally.”
Greer likened the experience of running Secret Spot to taking a two-semester class.
“I learned a whole bunch and I did a super cool magical thing for a while, and that it’s not going to continue on indefinitely is totally fine with me,” Greer said. “I wouldn’t want to still be in my calculus class.”
The funeral held on June 5 was an uplifting way for Davis locals to say goodbye to Secret Spot and to remember the joy it has brought the community.
After the funeral, both artists are taking time to rest. Their studio space will remain, and Rizzo planned to continue organizing the popular immersive event, Art Mania. Greer, meanwhile, has a new album with their band, as well as the next installment of their dream-inspired comic series. For those who want to stay connected, the Secret Spot Instagram will continue to provide updates on the artists’ projects.
There are still ways to support them: the original Secret Spot GoFundMe remains open to help with closing costs, and another fundraiser exists to support Rizzo’s medical recovery. But more than anything, they hope the closure of Secret Spot wakes people up.
“I’m hoping that the reaction to us closing is that people wake up to the fact that we do need to get out of our houses and find community,” Rizzo said. “In this political and economic climate that we’re in, humans need to be together, sharing space.”
Written by: Laila Azhar — features@theaggie.org
