Jeff Hersch of Flemington DIY — Look at my records!

Aug 23

Aug 23 Jeff Hersch of Flemington DIY

Flemington DIY has been a staple in the Central New Jersey arts community for almost a decade, but its long tenure hasn’t been without challenges. Like many performance spaces, the pandemic forced a shutdown and led to their eventual relocation, but Flemington DIY is now open and thriving. Their calendar is packed with diverse and exciting events that go far beyond just live music. The rest of 2022 features an interactive 7-inch vinyl record show and tell, a talent showcase geared towards kids, a paper-making class, herbal medicine workshops, and more.

Jeff Hersch, the co-founder and Executive Director of Flemington DIY, could probably write a handbook on doing DIY right. He came of age playing in and around New Brunswick, most recently drumming with Glazer and fronting his own project, Civic Mimic. Beyond his own musical pursuits, Hersch has proven himself to be a champion of punk’s do-it-yourself ethos, supporting his community and an endless amount of artists through Flemington DIY.

On the heels of Flemington DIY’s reopening, we caught up with Hersch to talk about the space’s history, his background in DIY, the process of relocating to a new building, his relationship with the town of Flemington, and more. He also shared some important advice for anyone looking to go down the path of operating a DIY space:

Flemington DIY just reopened after two years in a new spot. Was your plan always to reopen in a new space? Or was the original closure mostly due to the pandemic?

Ever since our opening in 2014, we knew our original space at 90 Main St would be temporary, due to impending redevelopment. Because of this, it was always supposed to be a “pop-up” venue. But like most bureaucratic processes, it was drawn out and slowed down, made more complicated with lawsuits between local groups and the redeveloper, so Flemington DIY was able to grow and thrive for nearly 7 years!

Like the rest of the world, we closed in March 2020 due to the pandemic, moving to online and virtual programming, and then in February 2021, the time came to vacate the space due to the redevelopment. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect considering we were already closed. The pandemic allowed us to find a new space without rushing into anything, and finally achieve of our goal of becoming independent of the Borough.

I’ll admit, honestly, during the pandemic, it was looking bleak. As the volunteer leader of this organization, I went back and forth in my mind and with the Board, trying to decide if I actually wanted to continue this or just move on with my life. We were closed anyway, so at least it’d be a clean break. Candidly, I thought, “I have a kid on the way, I don’t need this extra stress and pressure and work, especially since it’s volunteer gig.” I don’t even live in Flemington anymore, so, the commute and energy invested in this was all on the table for me. But in the end, I couldn’t walk away. And I’m so glad I didn’t.

What was the process like in finding a new space? Were you considering a few different options? What made the spot on Stangl Road the right fit?

We looked at a couple of options in town, but as you can imagine, real estate is expensive, especially for an arts nonprofit. We paid a historic $1 a month at our old space under an incredibly generous agreement with Flemington Borough, so trying to find something affordable after that was a tall (and scary) order for us. In those years, making money was secondary to events and programming.

After we closed, we fundraised like hell throughout 2021, crunched some numbers, and once we had a realistic budget, we connected with one of our former board members who owns a lot of property in town. The space at 26 Stangl became available and after some negotiating, we signed a lease in January 2022! The building and location are perfect for us. It’s located in the vibrant up-and-coming Arts & Cultural District, and we’re right in the middle of all the action. We’re in between Lone Eagle Brewery and HumdooIce Cream, not to mention Factory Fuel Coffee Shop and other cool and hip spots. The foot traffic is great there, especially on weekends when the farmer’s market is in full swing, not to mention street fairs and galleries. It’s a symbiotic relationship along StanglRoad… we’re benefitting local businesses and vice versa. Honestly, it’s an ideal spot for us. It’s very surreal to be there, it’s a great little community in itself.

Has your vision for Flemington DIY changed since its inception? Or has the mission relatively stayed the same? What’s changed and what’s remained constant?
The vision has more of less remained the same: to provide quality, accessible, and affordable programming for the general community, as well as an outlet for people to create and express themselves in a safe, welcoming environment. When we first started, we were a group of ragtag punk kids in our early 20s so naturally, things have changed since then. We solidified a board of directors in 2017 when we officially become a 501c3 nonprofit. We’ve had to be more mindful of our finances. Because of rent and other expenses, we must be money-conscious and driven to be financially stable. But with memberships, grants, and events, this year has been good, overall.

You have an extensive background playing in DIY bands in New Jersey. How do you think those experiences prepared you for running your own space? Are there any lessons in particular that you learned along the way that stick out?

I had the privilege of touring a good amount in my early 20s, and that experience really opened my eyes to the vast DIY network of bands and spaces across the country. Seeing DIY spaces and alternative galleries were a big influence on all of us when we were starting Flemington DIY, and I always thought Flemington would be ideal for a similar spot (the high school has over 3,000 kids)!

Yes, DIY spaces are great in big cities, but cities will always have outlets for artists and musicians. Small towns are the places that really benefit from such spaces. My own experiences allowed me to run shows the way I thought shows should be run with the intent to give touring bands a great experience in a town they’d probably never been to. You know, good sound, good turnout, and cool hospitality.

The fact that Flemington is between Philly and NYC also makes it a desirable spot for touring bands.

Why’d you want to open Flemington DIY? Anything in particular inspire you?
I think the main driver of opening Flemington DIY was to help legitimize the DIY scene I and the other founders were deeply a part of. We all lived in a punk house in town and hosted basement (and living room) shows a lot. Naturally, the cops would come by occasionally and shut them down. When we had the opportunity to start throwing shows at this vacant bank on Main Street (Flemington DIY) AND it was endorsed and supported by the town, we took full advantage of that and started booking shows like crazy, mostly touring bands.

The irony of it all was that the space shared a wall with the local police, so to us, it was almost like a “fuck you” to them, though I’ll admit, the cops seemed to enjoy our shows and would pop in every now and then. This factor also deterred people from bringing booze inside, maintaining and upholding our “all-ages alcohol-free” ethos. So yeah, in the end, we were tight with the police.

To be honest, the opportunity to open Flemington DIY was basically dropped into our laps by the town. I continue to tell people this whole experiment is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that successfully blossomed into something bigger than me or any one person. And that’s the way it should be!

What has the community response been to the space reopening? It seems like you have a lot of support from local officials, etc. How did you go about earning their support? I ask this because, in a lot of places, it seems like DIY spaces run into issues with these folks. It seems like it’s the opposite for Flemington DIY, which is great.

The response has been nothing short of amazing! We’ve had some hiccups and issues along the way, but since our reopening, the support has been overwhelming and positive. The mayor was at our grand reopening and read a council proclamation in honor of Flemington DIY, welcoming us to StanglRoad. Occasionally we’ll receive a letter of support or congrats from assemblymen praising our work, which is pretty cool.

I’d like to think that after 8 years, Flemington DIY has proved to town officials (and others) the value we bring to the community; bringing in crowds from other places who otherwise would never come to Flemington. Part of our mission statement cites the goal of “invigorating the economic development of Flemington,” and I think we are greatly contributing to that, which benefits everyone. Someone comes to an event and that same evening they’ll buy a beer, have dinner, and shop around. Because we offer more than just punk shows, most people see the value in Flemington DIY as a true inclusive community center. To me, the benefits of supporting such a space are obvious, though maybe I’m biased!

The fact that our inception included the council from the get-go has generally worked in our favor, which I know is a very unique and rare situation.

The space has such varied programming. It’s not just a gig space. How has the programming that Flemington DIY evolved over the years? How did the changes come about?

I think that’s what really separated us from a lot of other DIY spaces in the past. Yes, we hosted punk shows, but we also hosted knitting groups and screen-printing workshops and events for kids. Once we opened, people from all walks of life became intrigued and asked if they could host a class or something. I refer to Flemington DIY as a “yes organization,” meaning if you come to us with an idea, the answer is usually always a “yes.” It’s kind of like “if you build it, they will come.” We opened our doors, and people just gravitated toward the place. I think that’s a vital takeaway from this whole thing. If every town opened a space like this, no doubt people would emerge and get involved. I believe that’s the nature of community; people just need a platform and sometimes a little encouragement to get started. I think the true embodiment of DIY involves the general community. The do-it-yourself mentality includes all aspects of life, not just music, and that idea strengthens and cultivates communities. I think there’s something special to be said about a place where Music Together for toddlers and an experimental harsh noise show can happen in the same room on the same day just hours apart.

What’s next for the space? What type of events are you hosting this year and what would you like to host in the future?

Events and programs are constantly being booked. We usually have events booked 2-3 months in the future, depending on the time of year. We’re looking to do some film screenings, dance classes, and various art workshops this year. We’d also like to do more community discussions centered around contentious issues, with the goal to truly discuss and hear each other, not debate. We hosted one back in 2017 on Blue Lives Matter and the “thin blue line,” and it’s one of my proudest moments to date.

A big goal is to grow our membership and the benefits that come with it, especially since that is a big part of our income. So, if you’re reading this – become a member!

What advice would you give to people wanting to open or start their own DIY spaces in their communities? There seem to be a lot of obstacles and challenges.

I’ve been asked this question before and always struggle with the answer, especially since Flemington DIY’s inception was so unique. I think the biggest obstacle is funding and maintaining a steady flow of incoming money – no surprise. But I would rally a small group of dedicated people (keyword: dedicated) and maybe a few allies either on town council or established community members (with some funds) and grow support that way. Another route… leave the town out of it (where DIY is now) and start fundraising and get a space. Easier said than done, but it’s all about grassroots and working collaboratively and inclusively. I’m always happy to chat with people and give any helpful advice or info I can. I believe every town should have a community arts space!

Keep up with all things DIY Flemington by following them on Instagram and liking them on Facebook.

Their website also has a full calendar of events to peruse. Check it out here and add it to your bookmarks!

You can also become a member of Flemington DIY by making a monthly donation. Sustaining members receive numerous benefits, including swag, discounted tickets, and more! Flemington DIY is also always looking for volunteers.