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Since opening in January, a unique new lounge has claimed a spot on the Arcata roster of places to gather, drink and watch sports.

Sitting atop the lavender building on G Street in Northtown, the deck of the Summitt offers outdoor seating, a fireplace and a beautiful view of Cal Poly’s campus stretching up the forested hillside while a peaked roof, flatscreens and mobile/rearrangeable furniture on the interior give cozy clubhouse vibes. 

“I think it’s one of the best seats in the house,” said founder/owner/operator Trey Cartier in a sit-down with the Outpost.

Through August, the Summitt will be showing the Olympics (with a schedule that strongly prioritizes the women’s events). But “sports bar” couldn’t hope to capture the establishment in its entirety. Doubling as a digital art and film gallery, tripling as a queer speakeasy and quadrupling as a creative workspace, the Summitt combines varied, distinct elements that Cartier hopes will “make sense together in an unknowable way.”

The Summitt concept began coming together in 2021. As the Covid-19 pandemic’s robbery of social interaction stretched on, Cartier said she found herself and her community craving gathering spaces lost.

While she initially secured the G Street penthouse as a studio/workspace, Cartier said the property’s commercial zoning kept her ideas of a “sanctuary, supportive vibe” congregation spot humming in the background.

And already, the Summitt is becoming a sanctuary for some. abby hamburg, a regular in the lounge, said that after experiencing harassment in other local drinking establishments as a trans man, he’s grateful for an environment in which everyone is “committed to a safe space.”

“Not wanting to re-perpetuate that [harassment] for others, it’s really nice to have a place where I know I can bring my queer friends or my friends of color or, you know, anyone of any minority community, and not have to worry,” hamburg told the Outpost over the phone.

The name “Summitt” pays homage to former Olympian and women’s college basketball coach Pat Summitt, who had the most career wins in college basketball history at the time of her retirement. The nod – and the eccentric dual focus on art and sport – represents a celebration of the diverse ways in which humans strive and achieve new heights, according to Cartier (who also lectures in film studies and production at the university). 

“The whole essence is to celebrate tenacity and amplify love,” she said.

Artists and athletes share much in common in Cartier’s eyes: they embody essential humanness in an age of artificiality, live to the utmost of what’s possible, drive toward successes not yet seen, raise the bar on human potential, connect others through inspiration and avoid cheating.

“We’re not trying to cheat at finding the right words when we’re doing poetry and we’re not trying to cheat the game when we’re training to do our best,” she said. “It’s figurative, but it’s significant.”

And so, interspersed with televisions airing the hottest women’s sports of the weekend, you will find art adorning the Summitt walls: stills extracted from experimental, conceptual and documentary films as well as other mixed media work. Full films are available through framed QR codes or on the lounge’s website (with membership). 

“It’s almost like an in-person Instagram,” said Cartier, adding that all tips to staff (she is the entirety of “staff” currently) are divvied up for the artists showing work.

You may also roll up to find a special event – queer mixer, silent disco … pop punk queer skate mixer (Aug. 9) – going down.

hamburg, who Cartier described as a “strong co-conspirator of the space” and an involved Summitt event planner, recalled a Pride mixer he recently threw. 

“By the end of it, I think it was just like four or five trans and non-binary folks sitting around talking about, like, top surgery doctors … who’s a good doctor, what’s the process, where to go,” hamburg said. “The natural community support [that] came out of that first event was so inspiring for me that I just was like, ‘Okay, what’s next? How can we do more of this? How can we keep these conversations happening?’”

Anyone uninterested in sports, art, mixing or discoing but who seeks reliable internet, charging stations and a chill space to work, perhaps with a craft beer in hand, can pop in and be “introverted in an extroverted space” (in Cartier’s words). 

Besides the unusual combination of offerings, the Summitt also operates differently than a typical drink-serving enterprise. 

“We’re just trying to be self-sustainable,” Cartier said, adding that the aim is to create a “safe space” with good energy and an unusual mix of people – art geeks, sports fans and all others in between and beyond – rather than turn a profit.

hamburg, who works in suicide prevention locally and is organizing a team for the Summitt at Arcata’s Sept. 8 Out of the Darkness Community Walk, said that being able to access a communal space without the pressure of buying something can be “healing” – especially for members of the queer community, who attempt suicide at higher rates. 

“When people are going through a heavy depression, there can often be fiscal limits and boundaries, and so they feel like they can’t go out and do anything,” hamburg said. “Come and sit in the sun and get a little bit of social interaction without the pressure of anything. Come and listen to other people and just be present with other folks in the space, not even necessarily engaging or contributing.” 

“To me, that’s what suicide prevention looks like,” he concluded.

The deck. Photo: Gillen Tener Martin.

For those who are looking to purchase, the Summitt offers beer, wine, prosecco and non-alcoholic beverages, and patrons are welcome to bring in outside food. 

“We had a whole crew bring in some pizza on Saturday for the women’s soccer game,” Cartier said. “There’s so many great local businesses around … scoop something up, bring it over.”

All (over 21) are welcome during operating hours, and monthly passes and membership offer discounts and perks for those looking to make the Summitt a regular haunt – including free use of the space for private events. hamburg shared that he’s hosted his book club in the lounge since becoming a member.

Membership is offered on a sliding scale, with trans and women athletes as well as queer community members offered lower rates in an attempt to be creative on how to “give space back and really center certain people that don’t usually have space,” Cartier explained. She said that memberships are intended to symbolize “co-creation” in what the Summitt is becoming rather than exclusivity, and that she hopes members feel the Summitt is a place they can count on. 

“It really is an open space,” hamburg said.