After nearly 12 years, all-ages local music and performance venue the Trunk Space will close its doors on Grand Avenue in May in search of a new location.
Steph Carrico, the co-owner of Trunk Space, said the decision came three weeks ago. Originally, they hoped to secure and announce a new location before announcing the closure, but they have not yet found a new location.
“I wanted everybody to have a chance to come out and see a show or support in any way they can before the end so I didn’t want to wait any longer,” Carrico said. “There’s been spaces that have shut down in the past and I never had the chance to go one last time, and I didn’t want to do that to all the people who have supported Trunk Space for so many years.”
The venue’s closure stems from a variety of reasons, Carrico said. Trunk Space and its neighbor Bikini Lounge have both felt pressure from neighborhood members who don’t like that so many people park on nearby streets. A new business that recently opened between Trunk Space and Bikini Lounge has a different idea for the area, she added.
A rent increase was also among reasons Carrico said Trunk Space no longer felt at home. The venue has also been thinking of shifting to nonprofit status for a while, a move they are hoping to include in the new space.
The rent recently increased to 62 cents a square foot from 54 cents a square foot according to Beatrice Moore, the venue’s property owner. Moore stressed that this is still lower than rent for many other properties in the area or in downtown Phoenix at large. The rent had not been raised for nine years. Moore, who owns several other properties on Grand Avenue and within the area, said the property taxes on commercial properties are rising 5 percent a year. She is not sure what the building will change to as Trunk Space moves out in the end of May.
“We are going to be really discerning of who we rent it to because we want to make sure it’s going to be someone who is going to be there for a while and that they are really contributing something to the neighborhood,” Moore said.
As Grand Avenue continues to change, Moore said she hopes the people coming into the neighborhood will preserve the areas they buy rather than tear them down.
“I hope that the people moving into the neighborhood will respect the residents of the area, the characteristics of the area and the neighborhood as a whole,” Moore said.
Trunk Space hasn’t really made a profit during its time on Grand Avenue, Carrico said.
“JRC and I have run it because it felt important for Phoenix to be a place we’d want to live,” she said, adding that dedicating 20-40 hours a week for no profit isn’t sustainable.
For long-term sustainability at their future location, they plan on pursuing nonprofit status. This would allow them to accept donations, hire a manager and create a back-up fund to guarantee performing touring bands a minimum pay-out.
Carrico said she has met with the City of Phoenix’s Community and Economic Development Department, which provided them with a list of potential spaces. They hope the new space will be slightly larger, about 1,300 to 1,400 square feet, than the current 1,100 square-foot location.
At their new location, they plan on continuing with the tradition of being open to all ages — an idea that has been important to the owners from the start.
“I grew up here in Phoenix, and there wasn’t a whole lot to do when I was a teenager and I just don’t feel like young people to be excluded,” Carrico said. “Beyond just teens, I feel like it’s important for people of all ages to have a place to bounce ideas off of each other and get input from different generations.”
Ryan Avery, an artist who got his start at local venues like Trunk Space, said weird and small acts will take a hit in the Phoenix music scene for while because of the lack of places willing to give them a chance.
“Trunk Space is a pretty magical place,” said Avery, who is also a regular volunteer at the venue. “So many great and unique things happen there all the time. It’s a really big bummer, but after doing this for so many years I know that it’s not the end of it all.”
The venue’s last show, the third-annual Indie 500, will serve both as a finale and anniversary show marking 12 years of Trunk Space. The festival, which has hosted local favorites and larger national acts such as Kimya Dawson, runs until the performers hit 500 songs. The event will start at 8 a.m on April 23. The Trunk Space is located at 1506 NW Grand Ave.
Contact the reporter at Kara.Carlson@asu.edu
