Rising Stars: Meet Deondra Magett of West Adams

Today we’d like to introduce you to Deondra Magett.

Deondra, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
When I finished undergrad, I moved to a new city with my girlfriends in Charlotte, NC. Charlotte was the perfect playground transitioning from college life to being a young professional figuring out my way and having a ball while doing it. I was working in education, so naturally during the summer I needed to pick up a serving job to make cash. I started working at a Black-owned sports bar, and it was there that I fell in love with creating an environment where people can get together and feel safe—better yet, seen. The regulars at the bar and the team I worked with all became a community. I hustled my way into bartending, and then was promoted to management, which is a completely different beast. I quickly realized the responsibility I had to lead my team to success daily so that the sports bar—our little community—could in turn exist. During the pandemic, instead of panicking while the industry I just built a career on was suffering, I pivoted and moved to LA with hopes of chasing that feeling I first felt when I moved to Charlotte. I moved to West Adams, a neighborhood that was very much on the verge of transforming, which made me feel those playground feels immediately. A friend sent me an ad for The Gathering Spot, and I immediately knew “I had to run that place” because I knew it needed to exist. Flash forward three years later, I now lead a dedicated team that continuously disrupts the status quo—that a community like ours can create space for rest, resistance, joy, ownership, and legacy together.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Being in a service based business doesn’t come without struggles, you work to please your customer in my case our members. We don’t always get it right – we’re not a perfect company, but everyday we try to be. I’ve been here since we opened doors in 2022, when we were just starting to build this community in LA. We had to get a understanding of what the LA market wants, what they don’t want, and what they need. Now, three years in, we’re familiar with each other in this space and community we’ve built here, it’s much easier to have open dialogue and not take feedback personal. We all know the importance of the space and only want whats best for it to thrive. The last couple of years have been heavy politically, so to witness the direct affect it has on our Members and our team has definitely been a challenge. I still have a business to run and a team to feed, that pressure it heavy. I still feel immensely fortunate that I get to lead this community.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am the Operations and Events Manager at The Gathering Spot LA, better known as Deondra. The Gathering Spot is a social members club rooted in community and collaboration. I create experiences for members of our community through hospitality and events. . I’m proud of my leadership approach, which centers on being calm and welcoming while always looking for ways to enhance and exemplify my team’s and client’s vision. I believe in leading with humility, knowing that the best ideas and innovations come from lifting up the people around me.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
I remember a co worker had a post it on her laptop that read, “choose your hard”. Giving up is hard and to keep going is hard, everyday you get the opportunity to choose your hard. & Treat everyone better than how you found them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thegatheringspot.club/la-gathers/
• Instagram: @lagathers

Image Credits
Makala Lee