PHOTO BY SEAN COLLIER

In late 2024, it seemed certain that the South Side would lose its last full-time music venue, as the longtime owners of intimate performance space Club Cafe announced they were closing up shop.

Today, there’s good news for music lovers: The reports of Club Cafe’s death, to paraphrase Mark Twain, were greatly exaggerated.

Opus One Productions, who operated the 37-year-old venue from 2011-2024, shuttered Club Cafe after a run of farewell concerts around the holidays. Behind the scenes, however, local management group Keystone Artist Connect were already in talks to revive the 12th Street venue.

As initially reported by NEXTPittsburgh, Keystone Artist Connect — which has assisted on several local music festivals and series and manages artists from Pittsburgh and beyond — began talks with former owner Michael Sanders in September. They closed on the building last week.

Current plans for the venue include daytime cafe service and a broadened range of nighttime entertainment. Keystone Artist Connect co-founders Danielle Mashuda and Maddy Lafferty said they have no plans for extensive renovations and hope to have Club Cafe open again by mid-summer.