Provo Night Life and Third Place Culture

The typical work night for Vanessa Oler, 21, an Asian studies major from Houston, begins around 2:00 p.m. and ends close to 3:00 a.m.

As a member of Provo-based Electric Dance Party (EDP), a group of friends and DJs who host dance parties throughout Utah Valley, Oler spends many of her nights planning and coordinating their events.

"I think if you’d asked me [about Provo’s night life] last semester I would've said non-existent,” Oler said. “But a couple places have opened up recently.”

Gone are the days of midnight munchies runs to Wendy's, Del Taco, or Sconecutter. Provo’s budding late-night scene now offers several options for college night owls.

One such late-night location is Downtown Provo’s Pennyroyal Café at 155 N. University Ave. Free Wi-Fi, great food, a comfortable atmosphere and late hours (open every night, except Sundays, until 2 a.m.) make Pennyroyal Café an ideal EDP command center. Oler joked that she thinks the café should put up a plaque reserving a space for the EDP members.

“We have our own table there that we always work at,” Oler said. “One time we came in and some people were sitting there so we just stood around until they left.”

Pennyroyal has a charming old-building feel, smell and look. The walls are crumbling yellow, red and brown bricks with faded blue fleur-de-lis designs painted sporadically throughout. Copper tiles line the chandeliered ceiling and a large mosaic of a sprouting tree made entirely of pennies covers one-third of the south wall. None of the furniture matches, but somehow each dining set fits together to form an elegant patchwork of tables and chairs.

With a piano, an all-you-can-eat cereal bar, and an old-school Nintendo gaming system, it’s no wonder Pennyroyal is on its way to becoming Provo’s newest hang-out. According to Nathan Robbins, one of Pennyroyal’s owners, the café tries to appeal to everyone’s needs.

“There’s no niche, no tiny section of the population we wanted to appeal to,” Robbins said. “Anyone can identify with a place like us.”

Robbins said he and Annali Kingston, the café’s second owner and primary chef, leased the property without knowing what they wanted to do with it.

“I always had an idea for a collaborative space for people to come together with whatever they wanted to do,” Robbins said. “From the beginning it’s always been very community oriented; I really wanted to contribute something to Provo.”

Pennyroyal contributes to the community by participating in Downtown Provo’s monthly Gallery Stroll art show, hosting community events, and raising awareness for local art, music, and charity functions. For example, this April Pennyroyal donated gift certificates for charity events such as the Grassroots Soccer Tournament held to raise funds for HIV-prevention education in Africa.

Aside from Pennyroyal Café, several other late-night places have opened in Provo in the last year. The hip burger joint Sammy’s Café, located at 27 N. 100 W., offers an alternative to the mellow coffee shop atmosphere of Pennyroyal.

With a modernized 50s-malt-shop feel, Sammy’s beckons Utah Valley’s young people. Large blue swirls creep around the front and sides of the white building, placing it in stark contrast with the drab brick structure next door. Inside, bright intricately painted wooden letters on a silver and blue mural backdrop form the name of the establishment.

Hand-crafted scripture cases hang in the upper left corner with a “For Sale” sign placed in front and Polaroids signed by recent customers coat the entire north wall.

In the same swirling blue theme as the outside design, a space above the door reads “Everything is made with love.”

One of Sammy’s main selling points is the pie shake. According to Sam Schultz, the owner of Sammy’s Café, the idea for pie shakes — milkshakes with actual slices of pie blended in — came from the banana crème pie shake at Sonic. Schultz said he was frustrated because Sonic never included real pie in the shake.

But Sammy’s has other appeals as well.

“It’s got a cool vibe,” Schultz said. “People feel comfortable here. It's a middle point."

Tessa Nokleby, 21, a UVU student from Seattle and a patron of Sammy’s Café agrees.

“Sammy’s is super hip. It definitely attracts a younger crowd,” Nokleby said.

For a more downtown atmosphere, head to Spark Restaurant and Lounge. The dim lighting takes some adjustment, but the friendly staff is quick to greet patrons and make them feel at home.

Spark seems to draw a swanky late-night crowd. Martini glasses filled with exotic-looking drinks swirl and clink as young people lounge around wooden tables and drape themselves across plush arm-chairs and benches. A four-person jazz band plays in the corner as part of Spark’s Live Jazz Tuesdays.

Located at 87 N University Ave., Spark offers lunch, dinner, late-night drinks and snacks and a buzzing social scene. However, Spark is a completely non-alcoholic establishment.

While Spark is a community meeting place and a late-night hot spot, many customers said it is not their favorite hang-out.

Jay Tibbitts, 21, a jazz studies major from Mission Viejo, Calif., regularly plays in a jazz band at Spark and said he thinks most people would not come to Spark without an event or a band drawing them in.

“People can't just go there every night for fun,” Tibbitts said. “It's doing it well — I really like what [they] did and I like the idea, but I think [they] need to lower [their] prices.”

In urban sociologist Ray Oldenburg’s book, “The Great Good Place,” community gathering spots such as Pennyroyal Café, Sammy’s and Spark perform a vital function for society. Oldenburg coined the term “third place” to define establishments such as coffee shops, cafes, barbershops, and main streets where people come together regularly for socialization and support.

According to Oler, the third place trend is spreading, especially the late-night scene.

“I think Provo’s trying to create a third place culture,” Oler said.

The phrase “third place” is derived from considering home the first place and work the second place. According to Oldenburg, third places are usually locally-owned, small independent establishments and provide the setting for grassroots politics, community movements and neighborhood support systems.

So what is in store for these third places and hang-outs in the future? Robbins said he and Kingston expect business to thrive in the summer once people are freer to take advantage of the late-night hours. As soon as they overcome some building code issues, Pennyroyal also plans to host large community events and parties.

Sammy’s also plans to host events including live bands and dance parties. In addition, they recently extended their hours and added items to the menu to include breakfast.

According to the restaurant website, Spark will continue live music on Friday nights and plans to host the occasional exclusive club-style dance party.

And as for the EDP crew?

Oler said she does not see things slowing down soon. According to EDP’s website, the group will continue hosting events and plans to release a video podcast over the summer. In the meantime, they may just get that plaque at Pennyroyal Café.