laid bare by the pandemic, they offer an opportunity for workers to enjoy perks and a fun night off.
Alec Fletcher, who runs a media and comics pop-up shop called Gotham Arcade, had a table at Industry Night selling comics, cassettes and VHS tapes. “I've been working in the service industry since I was 18 or 19. It's really cool that there's something that's on a Monday or [Tuesday]...so that people can actually come to it. There’s so many things happening on the weekends that we can't go to because we're working,” he said.
Similarly, Rico and Hallett incorporated a mutual aid component to Industry Night. “It doesn't really take a lot of work to [put] out a donation bin…dropping off the donations at the end of the night after some events, it takes minutes. So I don't see why it shouldn't be an aspect of almost any of them. If you're coming into a community, try to help the community,” Rico said.
Gia Greene, a musician and former longtime barista, said she went to Industry Night after hearing about it from Rico. “I like how it not only allows people who are current or former industry people to get to know each other, but it also gives people the opportunity to vend their wares and [make] connections across the board,” she said. “Even just looking out right now I see so many people that I know from my life, people that I'm friends with.