The Downstairs is supported by the Programming Fund and Monthly Memberships for a couple reasons...

First, The Downstairs exists because of the overwhelming demand from the performing arts community in Ithaca for places to gather an audience and perform in the community. Artists set and collect their own cover charges and The Downstairs does not ask performers to pay for stage time.

Second, our delicious menu of drinks and snacks is a tempting amenity The Downstairs is proud to offer, but it is not the main attraction. Folks come to see the featured performances and so bar sales are typically less -- sometimes half or less -- than the covers paid for the performers.   

We are member supported because our membership is committed to the arts and empowering artists to connect with audiences in this community, whether or not those events make money for the business.

We support our events through contributions to the Downstairs Programming Fund, either on your bar tab, through Venmo @TheDownstairs or through our online store.

If you find yourself enjoying events Downstairs a few times a month or more, please consider becoming a member with a sustaining monthly donation to our Programming Fund.

Signing up for a monthly membership through Square is easy, and while the average monthly membership is $15, you can sign up for as little as $2 a month to support the venue and stay in the loop on all our latest happenings. Members receive a weekly email newsletter and are hooked into the Downstairs Member Community of patrons and performers. Members enjoy special events and there are lots of opportunities to get involved in shaping the Downstairs as a community space.

Come join us and thank you for supporting The Downstairs! 

 

Testimonials for The Downstairs

Mickie Quinn, Mighty Productions

As an event producer, I need to be able to curate both what’s happening on stage as well as an environment that allows audiences to be engaged in the event without distractions from unruly bar crowds. The pandemic saw the loss of many event spaces in Ithaca which has resulted in a lack of venues that can support a space for writers, storytellers, comedians, poets, and listening-room musical performances.

The Downstairs opened in this past year and has become the ideal location for all of the above-mentioned events. The scale of the space supports community. The bar offers a menu of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. The acoustics are great. The staff and owner have an appreciation and love of the arts and enjoy the diversity of programming that their space can support.

There is no place in or around Ithaca like The Downstairs that can support small-scale performance art. We are so lucky to have them in our community.

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Melisa Crumrine        

I am a life-long resident of Ithaca and music lover. In 2007, my spouse and I co-founded Ithaca Underground, a 501c3 arts and music not-for-profit.  

One of the biggest challenges we faced as a nomadic booking organization was finding a venue.  I cannot tell you how many venues we lost over the years, how many fell through at the last moment, and how panicked we'd feel as we'd scurry to find another.  Ithaca hypes itself as a music-loving city, and yet there are remarkably few spaces for musicians to play. Or, let me rephrase: There are remarkably few places for small, up-and-coming musicians with few or no "contacts" to play. There are remarkably few intimate spaces, few places for bands to play their first show or try out new material. 

I've attended a handful of shows and presentations at The Downstairs, and I'm here to tell you: This is exactly what Ithaca needs.  It is both an intimate space but an open space; I always felt close to the musicians but also like I had plenty of room around me.  The space itself is gorgeous and unique to Ithaca.   It reminds me of jazz clubs from other cities.  This is a venue to brag about.

In short, The Downstairs is not only a remarkable venue-- it is a necessary venue, and Ithaca would do well to keep it.

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Ben Ortiz, DJ ha-MEEN

The Downstairs, in its relatively short existence, has already become a sought-after venue for local performers — including solo musicians, bands, DJs, poets, writers, stand-up comedians and more.  Its main draw is the laid back, intimate atmosphere where a decidedly mature and sophisticated crowd can always find a relaxing social space, free from the rowdiness and sometimes questionable behavior that is all too common at bars and nightclubs.  I myself feel that I've found a creative "home" where I can host smaller, low-profile events designed for audiences who want to listen while seated with friends more so than dance and let loose.

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Melanie Bush, Downstairs Member

The Downstairs plays an essential role in Ithaca's arts community. Ashley provides a warm, safe, respectful environment for performers and audiences to come together and support each other. I have performed in Ithaca's stand-up comedy night, hosted by Kenneth McLaurin, and in Trampoline, Ithaca's own version of The Moth storytelling series, hosted by Mickie Quinn. Both of these monthly events have found a wonderful new home since Ashley opened The Downstairs--the size is perfect and the sound quality is excellent. 

As an audience member, I have attended amazing music events such as month-long residencies by great local bands and excellent electronic music nights with live deejays. Again, The Downstairs has proved to be the perfect place--never too crowded, a place where people are there to really listen and support each other. The recent Zine Fest presented a truly mind-boggling assortment of talent and creativity by local zinesters of all ages and persuasions. It is as much of a privilege to be part of events there as an audience member as it is to be a performer. 

We've lost so much during these long years of Covid. We lost so many important performance venues--Casita de Polaris, Lot 10, the Chantiloft, Silky Jones, The Nines. We've had to forego so many of the things that bring us together and give our lives meaning. It's a godsend to have The Downstairs ready and eager to help us rebuild our connections and our lives.

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Matthew Saccuccimorano, scaramangaindustries.com

The Downstairs is the only public space in Ithaca focused on providing a venue for “outsider” non-profit driven music performance.  Although it is a new space, it is already proving vital to an under-served community.  There are fewer and fewer performance spaces available in Ithaca, and when one opens up it must be nurtured, especially if it is interested in providing something new.  Let’s keep this place healthy.

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johnny dowd

i've been playing music in ithaca for over 30 years and this town has never had a better or more supportive venue as well as being an overall cultural space [literary events etc.]  downstairs is an essential part of downtown.