Wander were within those conversations,” says Santangelo.
Still unsure of what their next step was going to be, Santangelo followed a voice they heard while in the woods.“ It was saying‘ remember the darkroom.’” It made sense. When Santangelo was still working as a photographer, the darkroom was their happy place.“ I lived in the darkroom. If I wasn ' t photographing, if I wasn ' t working, I was like in the darkroom. It was my sanctuary.”
Knowing they still had some undeveloped film rolls in their bag, they went looking for a nearby darkroom, but the closest option was in Kingston, New York. Feeling that drive would be unsustainable, Santangelo decided to start looking for a place where they could open their own darkroom. And during the process, they remembered how frequently they used to go to the coffee shop next door to the darkroom in Austin. So they decided finding a space where a small café could fit as well would be a smart move.
After looking for almost a year, a friend texted Santangelo, coincidentally on Trans
Visibility Day, about an opening at 34 Depot Street, also home to the offices of Berkshire Pride.
“ The reason I remember it was Trans Day of Visibility is because Berkshire Pride was having their Trans Day of Visibility Party. When I pulled up, I went upstairs to Berkshire Pride, and I was like,‘ Hey, I ' m Jay, I ' m gonna go look at the space to rent on Monday downstairs, so maybe I ' ll be your neighbor.’ It all came full circle.”
Wander’ s soft opening came last fall, and an official ribbon cutting ceremony happened in January, but the darkroom hasn’ t come to fruition just yet.“ It was just like, let ' s get the cafe open because that gets people in the door and introduces the space and then we ' ll go from there,” says Santangelo.“ The seed of Wander— the darkroom— will be the last thing to open.”
Thanks to a state grant that will cover the darkroom buildout, Santangelo’ s dream will come to life later this spring. As soon as a contractor can be lined up, their plans to convert that area towards Wander’ s backdoor into a darkroom can begin. Ideas on how to utilize it are many, but making sure it’ s community-based and educational is key. Teaching kids the magic of the darkroom was something Santangelo loved to do back in their student days.
“ I taught these kids from the Bronx who came from really hard lives to see, to slow down. We ' re gonna take photos. You ' re gonna go see the magic of the darkroom, and they would always be like,‘ Oh my God, those are beautiful.’ and I’ d say,‘ That ' s your life. This is you.’ I just love teaching kids to slow down and see the beauty in their everyday life,” says Santangelo.
As for the beauty in their life? Santangelo takes it one day at a time. Exhausted, but knowing they have to get out of bed every morning— running, journaling, putting one foot in front of the other as they wander on their journey, knowing they’ re providing something special and joyful for the community.
“ I had somebody come the other night to our dance party,” says Santangelo.“ They said,‘ I just need you to know that when I walk in here, my anxiety drops, I feel so safe in my body. I haven ' t felt that in a long time in a public space.’ It ' s been amazing.” n
104 // BERKSHIRE MAGAZINE Holiday May / June 2023 2025