WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — The stage inside Karl Hall on North Main Street in Wilkes-Barre might be small, but owner and operator A.J. Jump says it's mighty.
"The Buoys and Breaking Benjamin and Title Fight, you know, there's just an immense amount of talent that has come out of here," Jump said. "People have talked about it like a mini-Seattle over the years."
It's grown to become what Jump envisioned it to be when he started it back in 2017.
"We came out of the pandemic last year, and finally, we're able to get back down here inside, and we were rolling. Many sellouts, groups like Tigers Jaw, Drain, One Step Closer."
Now the shows here under this name are coming to an end after this Saturday.
"Unfortunately, we were presented with a new lease by our new landlords, and they decided that they were going to increase our rent by 100%."
Jump says it's something a small D-I-Y venue like this can't support.
"We're on a shoestring budget, to begin with. We're here for the love of music. I mean, we pay our bills. We always did," Jump said. "But unfortunately, with that type of increase, we just can't move forward."
Jump hopes this isn't the end of Karl Hall. Next spring, he hopes to reopen in another location that better aligns with his passion.
"There's a cliched statement that people say: 'You don't know what you have till it's gone.' But you know, I don't know. I hope people keep this place in their hearts and in their minds."
In the meantime, Jump says you can keep tabs on the community that's been built inside this hall on Instagram.
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