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Secret Alley
Image by Troy Holden
Unit #4 on the second floor of 180 Capp St. is no longer a sweatshop, but nonetheless, its current residents have been working long hours and doing manual labor to create The Secret Alley.
“When we first walked in, there were all these clothes tags covering the floor. It was kind of creepy,” said Ariel Dovas, one of the Alley’s creators.
The Secret Alley could be described as an artists’ co-op or a micro-production studio for movies and art.
“We’re the four main weirdos, but a lot of people are coming in and out helping us with the space,” explained Dovas.
The four weirdos, as they call themselves — Cody Frost, Matt Lightner, Noel Von Joo and Dovas — have been making projects for years. Lightner, Von Joo and Dovas know each other from their Santa Cruz hometown, and picked up Frost in Sacramento in 2005, while working on their independent film When Gravity Changes.
After signing the lease, they immediately began constructing their very own whimsical world of movie “make believe.” Upon entering the loft, their four offices greet you from both sides of the hall. Each has its own façade dressed as a pawnshop, library, detective agency and old saloon. The hall leads to what could be called the main show, where’s there’s a kitchen designed to look like a burnt out diner, leafy trees made out of fiberglass, casting shadows on the just-refinished floor and the grassy knoll where Bilbo Baggins could call home.
Lightner and Von Joo had some experience in construction, though they wouldn’t say they’re pros. Using how-to manuals viewed on the web, including the occasional Bob Villa’s, and a lot help from their friends, they were able to build the mini set pieces.
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