It's a Thursday at Savoy Society and Robin Maaya is capturing the revelry through Polaroid

Thursday’s at Savoy Society on the ground floor of Drayton Tower are something different, and photographer Robin Maaya is a big part of that.

“Bars like CBGB, Studio 54, Rainbow Room; bars that have had documentation of them; I look back at [the photos] through time, and I think of how much of an impact and inspiration [they’ve had] on the things I’ve seen in my own industry, and then I think about us in that same position,” said Warren Cooey, a bartender at Savoy Society.

Fortunately, there is someone documenting Savoy Society. Robin Maaya has been taking Polaroid photos there for nearly a year and a half. She originally found herself at Savoy in February 2021 when a friend convinced her to attend an art show.

“It kind of stuck, so I started coming every Thursday after that.”

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Maaya said she had been searching for a place to belong after graduating from the Savannah College of Art and Design. She had always felt her safe space was the photography dark room, but she lost that after graduation.

“Coming here gave me that space back.”

After about a month, she started bringing her Polaroid camera to photograph friends, employees, and even complete strangers. “I’m super socially awkward, so taking pictures gave me a reason to talk to people.”

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By talking to people, she realized there were stories to tell through her photographs.

“I don’t think there’s enough documentation of stories. When we look back at documentaries about places like Studio 54, it’s amazing. You see these people in these moments, and I feel like when they were there, they didn’t know they were part of this incredible thing. When we look back on it, we rely on the pictures to tell that story.”

Jane Fishel, the owner of Savoy Society, said she’s happy Maaya started documenting their unique Thursday crowd.

“We’re an all-ages place because it’s also a restaurant, so we have young people and old people who come here and co-mingle. It’s really awesome, and people just kind of feel free to be themselves here, and we 100 percent celebrate that.”

Around Halloween 2021, Maaya noticed just how many photos she had collected in less than a year. “I realized that I had like 5,000 pictures at that point, and I figured I should do something with it.”

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Not only did she publish her photos in a book, but she also started an Instagram completely dedicated to the interesting faces of Savoy called It’s a Thursday.

“When the book came, I brought it in, and I gave it to everyone here first. I printed more and had them up for sale for anyone who was in it or wanted it. I bought 200 copies, and I have 10 left.”

No sooner had the book come out than Maaya started working on her next collection of photos.

Fishel said it was very organic how Maaya started documenting the patrons and how she’s grown to become part of Savoy. “It’s really important that someone is documenting this, I think because it’s a very important place.”

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Cooey agreed. “Everyone sees something different. It’s really cool that Savoy means so much to me and everyone who works here, and it also means so much in a different way to someone else.”

In her words, Maaya explained there’s “a time warp in Savannah,” and nowhere is that more evident than at Savoy. “I’ve found that I’ve made so many friends here that I didn’t have a year ago, and they range from being my age to in their 60s… I don’t think there’s one niche group that comes here.”

Now Maaya isn’t just documenting Thursdays, she’s become a key component in how the scene has evolved. “We do truly have a following on Thursday that is outside of our own following,” said Cooey.

“Thursday is a different day than all the rest,” said Fishel. “I think people love coming here on Thursdays because they know Robin [Maaya] is going to be here to take their picture.”

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Maaya says it’s both strange and beautiful that people recognize her as the Savoy Thursday Girl. “It’s very weird and special when people recognize that and want their picture taken.” Even after one photography book and giving away some of her photos, Maaya’s home is filling up.

“I have one of those orange Home Depot buckets full of [pictures]… My refrigerator is covered from the top to the bottom on all three sides.”

At one point, she spread them out across her living room floor. There wasn’t a clear space left. “That wasn’t even all of them.”

That means it’s time for a new book of Savoy Society photos. The challenge was narrowing down the nearly 10,000 photos to fit into 650 pages, but she did it.

You can purchase your own copy of the new book at her show opening at Savoy Society on Thursday. The opening starts at 4 p.m. with Jose Ray arriving to DJ at 7 p.m. The book is $55. If you miss the opening night, Maaya’s artwork will be up for a week inside Savoy Society.

“I feel lucky that years down the line when people talk about [Savoy Society] that my pictures might come up.”

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah GA art galleries: It's a Thursday at Savoy Society