Just off of Old Taughannock Boulevard, facing the Cayuga Inlet, the dimly lit windows of Deep Dive look in on how music dances and swerves its way through clusters of people enjoying drinks by the bar or grabbing hands to the dance floor. Ithaca locals and college students alike swing and sway to the sound of Deep Dive’s devotion to music cultivation. However, running a business so integral to the music scene is not going as smoothly as it may appear.

An Instagram post outlining a call to action from “Allies for Deep Dive” began circulating via social media in October. The post outlined a GoFundMe for Deep Dive with a goal of hitting $85,000 by Dec. 31. After a period of uncertainty and subsequent pause in booking, Deep Dive is in a period of financial strain because its operational costs have outweighed its income during the hiatus.

According to the Instagram caption, Deep Dive is the last space for entertainment and production of its caliber left in Ithaca. In 2024, music venues The Range and The Upstairs closed, while The Haunt closed in 2021 and The Nines in 2018. 

According to the National Independent Venue Association, which represents independent venues to preserve live entertainment and of which Deep Dive is a member, 64% of stages were not profitable in 2024. TJ Schaper ’13, co-owner of Deep Dive, said via email that shows that might seem successful can sometimes still lose money because most of the ticket revenue goes to the artists, production and basic operating costs.

“We want our venues to be accessible and inclusive, which is why I believe they are vital spaces BUT these expectations (sometimes non-negotiables) don’t align with the realities of being able to pay the bills to keep the doors open,” Schaper said. “Balancing values with financial survival at Deep Dive has been and continues to be one of the most difficult challenges of my life.”

Not long after this rally for community support for Deep Dive, The Downstairs Ithaca announced its closing through an Instagram post Nov. 9.

Drew Martin ’23 is a musician in the Deep Dive Big Band on Jazz Nights and said that Ithaca cannot let another bar close.

“We need Deep Dive because all the other businesses right now [that] are music venues are starting to close, and Deep Dive is probably one of the last standing ones,” Martin said. “After that, we’re just going to have bars with music playing in the background, not solely dedicated to the music. And without that, it’s going to be very damaging to Ithaca.”

Mickie Quinn, manager in the Communications Department and adviser for Park Promotions at Ithaca College, worked on branding and promotion for Deep Dive during their first year. She said she had a conversation with Schaper about some uncertainty regarding Deep Dive that had risen with the Cayuga Park development, which includes the construction of a medical office building and two residential buildings along the inlet. 

Quinn then decided that she wanted to help support Schaper and make it clear to the public that Deep Dive was not closing, but that it was under financial stress. 

“Really, it was more important to rally the community around this space and to let him know that he has our support,” Quinn said. “And help give him the strength and the wind in his sails to keep going, and that we care and that we need him to do this, and so we need the community to step up and help.”

Schaper said via email that sustainability for independent and locally owned venues like Deep Dive is a dream, not a given.

“Since 2022 I’ve worked 60-100 unpaid hours a week for Deep Dive, not including the now six figures that I have personally invested into the business,” Schaper said. “Additionally, I’ve had to take on additional work as a way to try to keep up with Deep Dive’s finances.”

Included in Deep Dive’s events are Deep Dive Jazz Nights every other Wednesday and Honky Tonk Sundays every second Sunday of the month. 

At Honky Tonk Sundays, everyone is invited to the floor to follow along as country swing and line dance instructors shout directions aloud and lead a line dance to match the rhythm and roll of music performed by the Deep Dive Barn Haulers. 

Margaret Harper ’24, the lead singer for Lost Mary’s and vocalist in the Cast Iron Cowboys on Honky Tonk Sundays, said that Ithaca’s unique sound comes out of independent music venues like Deep Dive.

Soon there were spins, back kicks and twisting hips flooding the floor while Harper sang with a country twang.

“Real music of all different kinds by live performers in a really cool spot,” Harper said. “It’s beautiful over here. … The importance of venues like this is [that] it speaks for the people. And it’s not always like a huge act, but it’s heartfelt, hardworking members of the community who love music.”

Though Deep Dive only officially opened in 2022, the space itself has been a staple in the Ithaca community for decades. It was formally a bar called The Dock, and before that, Castaways. 

“[Deep Dive] has been a physical place in this community for over 50 years that so many people have a tie to,” Quinn said. “If we lose Deep Dive, so many of us are going to lose our home stage.”

Quinn said that the amount of money it cost Deep Dive to stay open over the summer was more than the venue ever made, and that because it was not hosting big shows that were bringing in big bar sales, which is the bulk of their income. 

In March 2025, The Ithaca Voice published an article about social media’s impact on local businesses, which said that Schaper said he estimated he was about $100,000 in debt.

Out of an $85,000 total goal, the GoFundMe as of Nov. 18 has raised $4,042, with 76 donations.

“It might sound like a crazy amount but if that’s what it takes to keep a culture alive, I think it’s worth at least trying,” Harper said.

Schaper said via email that Deep Dive serves a cultural role that is not reflected in its finances, and that Deep Dive is grateful for the community financially rallying behind it.

Quinn said they are working towards putting together a weekend fundraiser around Dec. 20 that will include a big show and an all day event with raffles and auctions. 

Martin said that while the closing of The Downstairs is unfortunate and that he is sad about it, he hopes that it gives the community an extra push to keep Deep Dive open.

“We need music … regardless if you’re a musician or not, we run on it and people want to see their favorite bands, people want to be on stage,” Martin said. “Having a music venue that is … pretty much dedicated to music is extremely important. It brings in revenue. It brings in new people. It brings in new musicians. It keeps dreams alive.”