The Phase Is Coming, and Honestly? It's About Fucking Time

The Phase Is Coming, and Honestly? It’s About Fucking Time

By MoMo Stark for The Phase Journal

Let me just say it straight: The Phase is not some cute little side project, not some “maybe one day” Pinterest board, not some fake-deep brand with a black logo and nothing behind it.

The Phase is real. It’s happening. And if you’ve been watching from the sidelines wondering what the hell we’ve actually been building, this is me telling you: we are building something massive, something weird, something beautiful, something loud, something safe, something creative, something alternative as hell, and something this scene absolutely deserves.

The Phase is a membership-only venue built for the people who never really fit into the polished, beige, watered-down version of life. It’s for the alt kids who grew up and still kept the music in their bones. It’s for the punks, the emos, the goths, the bikers, the artists, the tattooed weirdos, the people rebuilding themselves, the people still figuring their shit out, the people who need somewhere to belong without having to make themselves smaller to get in the door.

And yeah, I’m hyping it up because I fucking should be.

Because this isn’t small.

The Phase is planned as a membership-only venue with a café, bakery, bar, grill and restaurant, merch, tattoos, piercings, a podcast, a journal/blog/newspaper, an indoor stage, outdoor stage and festival grounds, yearly alt events, and operations running 6 AM to 2 AM, seven days a week. It’s a full-world kind of concept. It’s not just somewhere you go for an hour and leave. It’s somewhere you plug into.

It’s a place where you can grab a coffee in the morning, sit with your laptop, read The Phase Journal, talk to somebody who actually gets it, come back later for food, stay for the bar, catch a live set, book a tattoo, buy merch, meet your people, and leave feeling like your nervous system got a fucking break for once.

That’s the dream.

No — scratch that.

That’s the plan.

What The Phase Actually Is

I think one of the biggest mistakes people make when they hear about The Phase is assuming it’s just one thing.

It’s not just a venue.

It’s not just a café.

It’s not just a punk/goth members club.

It’s not just a tattoo space.

It’s not just a media brand.

It’s all of it.

The Phase is a full alt-lifestyle ecosystem. That sounds dramatic, but honestly, good. It should sound dramatic, because we are not building something half-assed.

We’re building a place where the brand, the building, the business, the culture, and the community all feed into each other.

The café and bakery matter.

The bar and grill matter.

The merch matters.

The tattoos and piercings matter.

The podcast matters.

The journal matters.

The events matter.

The stages matter.

The community matters more than anything.

And the reason it all matters is because we’re not trying to create a trendy “dark aesthetic” business for people to take one photo in and forget about. We’re building something that actually lives. Something that can grow. Something that people can be part of long-term.

A lot of us have spent years feeling like we had to choose between being taken seriously and being fully ourselves. The Phase is basically our way of saying, no, fuck that. We’re doing both.

Why We’re Talking About This Now

Because pre-sales are open.

Because August 2028 is the goal to open.

Because land is the next major move.

Because if we want to do this properly, we have to start building the community and the momentum now, not later when everybody suddenly decides they care.

We want to buy land in 2027 and open in 2028. That means what we do now matters like hell.

Every membership matters.

Every share matters.

Every article read matters.

Every event matters.

Every person who says, “holy shit, I actually want this to exist” matters.

That’s the thing people forget about big dreams — they don’t appear fully formed one morning in perfect lighting. They get built in public. They get built awkwardly, loudly, stubbornly, and with a million moving parts. They get built by people who care too much to shut up about them.

Hi. That’s us.

Coldwater Punk Fest Means Something To Us

Now let’s talk about Coldwater Punk Fest, because this part matters and I’m genuinely fucking excited about it.

Coldwater Punk Fest is exactly the kind of energy we believe in: community-first, alt-forward, local, creative, chaotic in the best way, and powered by people who actually give a shit. In a world full of sterile corporate nonsense, spaces and events like Punk Fest remind people that culture still belongs to the people making it.

That matters.

So yes — huge love to Phill of Punk Fest in Coldwater for building something real. Events like this are important. They give artists, vendors, bands, punks, weirdos, scene kids, bikers, goths, and anyone orbiting this world a place to physically exist together instead of just liking each other’s stories online and disappearing back into isolation.

That’s why we want to be there.

That’s why we should be there.

That’s why The Phase and Punk Fest make total fucking sense in the same sentence.

And while I’m here: shout out to Ems Cafe in Coldwater, Ontario, because local spaces that feed people, hold community, and make a town feel like an actual town deserve their flowers. Always.

We’ll Be At Punk Fest On August 29, 2026

Yes, officially: The Phase will have a booth at Punk Fest on August 29th, 2026.

And we’re not showing up with some boring-ass table and a couple postcards.

We’re showing up as The Phase.

That means energy.

That means brand.

That means community.

That means actual opportunities for people to connect with what we’re building.

At our booth, we will have a tattoo artist and a piercer available for bookings and walk-ups for flash tattoos and piercings. If you’ve been wanting a little piece of the chaos, a memory from the day, a story in ink, or just an excuse to finally get the piercing you’ve been talking about for six months, this is your moment.

Come by.

Book ahead.

Walk up.

Get stabbed beautifully.

Leave cooler than you arrived.

That’s the vibe.

We’re Also Hiring At Punk Fest

And this part is important as hell too: we will also be doing a hiring event at Punk Fest, with interviews on the spot.

If you’ve been watching The Phase grow and thinking, “I want in,” this is your shot.

We are looking for people who fit the brand, the culture, the work ethic, and the actual mission behind this thing. Not just people who look the part on Instagram. We want people who care about community, creativity, guest experience, mental health, support, music, art, and building something bigger than themselves.

If you want to work in a space that includes hospitality, café, bakery, bar, grill, merch, tattoos, piercings, media, podcasting, events, and community support — come talk to us.

Bring a resume if you have one.

Bring your personality if you don’t.

Bring your questions.

Bring your experience.

Bring your weird little beautiful self.

We’ll be doing interviews on the spot, because sometimes the best hiring decision is just meeting somebody face-to-face and knowing immediately, yeah, you get it.

The Punk Fest Founding Member Offer Is Wild, Actually

Now for the part that should make people move fast.

Anyone who buys a membership to The Phase at Punk Fest will receive the special title:

Punk Fest Phase Founding Member

And no, that isn’t just a cute label. It comes with real perks.

If you purchase your membership at Punk Fest, you’ll get:

• 50% off everything for the first year

• 2 lifetime guest passes

• Priority line and entry to events

• Priority / Early Bird founding tickets to events

Honestly? That’s an insane deal, and I’m not saying that just because it’s ours.

That title will mean you were there early.

You believed before it was easy.

You backed the vision before the doors opened.

You were part of the build, not just the afterparty.

Founding members are different. They help shape culture. They become part of the story forever.

And if The Phase becomes what we know it can become — which it fucking will — that title is going to matter.

The Phase Journal Is Bigger Than Just Us

Now let me talk about The Phase Journal, because this part means a lot to me.

Yes, The Phase Journal / Newspaper / Blog is going to cover our building, our brand, our business, our events, our launches, our people, our ideas, and everything we’re doing behind the scenes.

But that is not all it is.

The Phase Journal is also a mental health and addictions page/paper, and it is available to everyone for support.

Everyone.

Not just members.

Not just customers.

Not just the cool kids.

Not just people who can afford something.

Everyone.

Because the truth is, a lot of people in alt spaces, music spaces, nightlife spaces, creative spaces, and just life in general are carrying heavy shit. Anxiety. Depression. Burnout. Trauma. Grief. Addiction. Relapse. Isolation. Shame. The feeling that maybe you’re too much or not enough at the same time. That weird brutal loneliness that can exist even when you’re surrounded by people.

We are not interested in building a brand that ignores that reality.

We want The Phase Journal to be a place where people can read something honest and feel less alone. A place with support, resources, truth, stories, reflection, and actual humanity. A place where business and brand don’t erase the fact that people are struggling. A place where support doesn’t come with some fake polished bullshit voice.

If The Phase is the building, The Phase Journal is part of the heartbeat.

August 2028 Is The Goal

So here it is clearly:

The Phase is aiming to open in August 2028

.

Pre-sales for memberships are open now.

That’s not some vague someday statement.

That’s the direction.

That’s the target.

That’s what we’re working toward.

We are building toward a members-only destination that runs 6 AM to 2 AM, seven days a week, with food, music, tattoos, piercings, merch, media, stages, events, and actual culture built into the walls.

We’re building a place where alternative people don’t have to ask permission to exist loudly.

We’re building a place where business and belonging can live in the same room.

We’re building a place that feels fucking alive.

And if you’re reading this and feeling something in your chest right now — good.

That means you get it.

The Phase is coming.

Punk Fest is part of the road there.

The memberships are open.

The energy is real.

The booth is happening.

The hiring is happening.

The tattoos and piercings are happening.

The Journal is happening.

This whole thing is happening.

And personally?

I cannot wait to see who shows up.

Because if you’ve ever wanted a place that feels like your music taste, your trauma recovery, your late-night thoughts, your leather jacket, your eyeliner, your creative brain, your survival story, your coffee order, your event calendar, and your future all got stitched together into one living thing —

That’s The Phase.

And we’re just getting fucking started.

~MoMo Stark | The Phase