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Infinity Room, one of downtown Salem’s pillars of entertainment, will close this year after hosting live music, comedy and events for four years.
The venue’s co-owners Emma Jonas, Chris Pelka and Stan Keightley Jr. announced in a Facebook post Sunday that Infinity Room will close on June 21. The decision to close came from a variety of reasons, according to the post, but largely the personal impact on its owners.
“As much as we deeply love our art communities, being members of the comedy and music performance communities ourselves, we have run ourselves ragged to the detriment of our well-being and personal lives,” the post said.
The co-owners also cited high cost of living and overhead prices paired with flat wages and cash flow as some of the reasons for the closure.
Infinity Room first opened at the start of the Covid pandemic as a merger of Capital City Theater, the local comedy club which used to occupy the space, and Space Concert Club, a music venue.
The venue started hosting live shows in 2022 and regularly has multiple events on weekends. It also hosts improv workshops and open mics where comedians can try out material, and is one of Salem’s few venues where smaller independent bands perform.
“We’re very proud to have provided a space for the community,” Jonas said.
Infinity Room’s closure comes after several efforts by the co-owners to gather community and financial support for the venue.
Last summer, Infinity Room faced a financial deficit and almost didn’t have enough cash on hand to cover payroll. Jonas and Pelka said the incident prompted them to realize their business was too often operating on a shoestring, and they started a fundraiser seeking $5,000 in community support.
In return, people donated $5,275 in less than a day, temporarily keeping Infinity Room open.
Even after reaching the fundraising goal, Pelka told Salem Reporter at the time that the venue had been on the precipice of closing for several months due to decreased attendance during summer and some maintenance issues.
After they announced the closure, Jonas said, people have responded with lots of kind words and understanding of their reasoning.
The announcement was made months in advance as Jonas and Pelka plan to participate in this year’s Make Music Salem event, which will take place on Infinity Room’s last day of operations.
“This year, we will not only host bands out front of our building all day, but we will throw a banger of an afterparty with karaoke, drink specials, and a few surprises,” the post said.
The announcement was meant to give the public advance notice of the limited time window for people to see shows at Infinity Room, according to Jonas.
The closure announcement also said the venue is available for purchase and its owners are looking for a buyer with a “passion for the arts, inclusivity, community support, and high-quality event production.” The space is inside a building owned by Vip’s Industries, a local property management company.
Jonas said they hope whoever buys Infinity Room carries on the venue’s regular events, including its improv program and drag shows.
People interested in buying Infinity Room, or who have questions about the closure, can reach out to the venue by emailing [email protected].
UPDATE: This story was updated after a short interview with co-owner Emma Jonas and the announcement on Facebook included Stan Keightley Jr. as a co-owner.
Contact reporter Madeleine Moore: [email protected].
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Madeleine Moore is working as a reporter at Salem Reporter through the University of Oregon’s Charles Snowden internship program. She came to Salem after graduating from the University of Oregon in June 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.