EP 66: A Place for Us: Food, Arts and Sports Unite The Queer Community at Studio West 117

If you don't look for it, you might miss the sprawling complex called The Fieldhouse, positioned behind the old Phantasy Nightclub building in Lakewood. If you are not in the LQBTQ+ community, chances are you don't even know about it. I had the chance to speak with two women who each have distinct roles in the success of this evolving queer gathering space. Chelsea Huizing (known also as Ox, for her physical stamina and can-do attitude that's  housed in a very petite frame), leads the food and beverage operations and Margaret Harper Jenkins manages media relations and oversees arts and culture projects. Both women found their way to Studio West 117 after years of professional challenges—primarily an inability to feel accepted for who they are and how they wanted to present to the world. The gathering place has created restaurants, meeting places, classrooms and sports programs for people who don't feel welcome in traditional settings but who embrace each other's expressions of diversity and uniqueness. Future phases include an expansion of personal services, retail, and even a hotel. For now, the anchors of Studio West 117 are three food concepts, including Trellis, Lakewood's only rooftop patio bar, and a flexible space that can be used for all kinds of social programming and outreach.