It may seem odd that the Trunk Space chose to house its shows in a small classroom on a church property, but if you think about the sense of community that Trunk Space has always fostered at its events, then a church might just be the place. And don’t worry about the property feeling too “churchy”; besides the sign out front that says “Grace Lutheran Church,” there are no apparent signs of religious practices on the property, such as large crosses, Bible verses on the walls, and the like.
If you’ve been to the old Trunk Space and complained about parking, then you’ll be happy to know that this new spot has plenty of parking right off of Third Street. It’s also the only place you can step away to smoke a cigarette. No more having to worry about the touring band taking up all the parking. The other pretty great thing about the new location is that once you enter the gate that reads “TRUNK SPACE” on red cloth, there’s a large, spacious lawn in front of the room that houses the new venue. I can definitely see this coming in handy for the festivals Trunk Space hosts, including the annual Indie 500. It’s also a nice spot to step outside of the venue for fresh air without having to worry about a car pulling into the parking lot, like the old spot.
Stepping into the room now known as “The Trunk Space,” it appears that a lot of love and labor has gone into the room. The walls are painted blue and orange (the scent of fresh paint was still in the air), and the floor looked like it had just been redone. A lot of work went into this room, and it was apparent: there were paint cans scattered and debris all over the floor, with trash cans in the hallway filled with boxes. The new space has many smaller rooms to hopefully use for band storage, Trunk Space merchandise, and the like; however, at this time, it’s filled with paint supplies and tools used to remodel the room.
Now, the stage is built about a foot above the floor, set with pink, blue, and green lights adorning the white cloth on the wall to hide the window behind the musician. Unlike the old stage that was triangular, this new stage is a long, horizontal rectangle with room for many musicians to fit and jam. The ceiling is pretty low (think Valley Bar-basement level), so the sound coming off the stage through the speakers was bouncing between the low ceiling, the floor, and all the hard-paneled walls.
Like I mentioned, it appears a lot of work has gone into making this spot work.
After the sudden closure of the venue on Grand Avenue and scrambling to find spots to host their touring musicians, the scene will only benefit now that Trunk Space has found a new location. I have no doubts that this new chapter in Trunk Space’s life will flourish sooner rather than later.
