DON’T PANIC—the future is bright for the Know. News had broken over the summer that the Northeast Portland punk venue would be closing its doors in November, priced out after a 150 percent rent increase. Hearts broke across town, and many began wistfully reminiscing about the unpretentious dive bar’s days of yore.
Luckily, the eulogies were premature. Late last month a photo of the Know’s owner Ryan Stowe being ceremoniously handed the keys to a new address surfaced on Facebook. Stowe later confirmed to the Mercury that they’ll indeed be moving to 3728 NE Sandy, the former location of the Blackbird, another legendary Portland venue that shuttered in 2003 (“The Know Has Found a New Home: The Old Blackbird,” Blogtown, Oct 21). More recently, the address was home to nightspots Tony Starlight’s and Mazza’s.
Stowe says the transition will be “bittersweet” after nearly 12 years on Alberta, but the new Know will debut with some key improvements. There’ll be no need to keep the current location’s 11 pm curfew, since the spot on Sandy has no residential neighbors. Capacity at the Alberta location is capped at less than 100 attendees per show, but with the larger space they’ll be able to raise that to about 150. They’ll also be opening earlier in the day and developing a more extensive menu, thanks to the new space’s fully equipped kitchen setup. Some of the most important stuff’s not changing, though—they’re bringing over the same staff, including booker (and Divers’ frontman) Harrison Rapp.