- Tony Chiotti
- KICKSTAND MAINSTAY Caitlin Weierhauser at Kickstand’s soft open back in December.
If you went to any comedy shows this week, you probably heard murmurs about Kickstand Comedy Space, the bike shop basement repurposed for comedy back in December that was shut down by the city over the weekend. Though details were initially murky, Kickstand co-founder Dylan Reiff reached out to the Mercury yesterday with an update. Reiff wanted to set the record straight, because, he said, while most of the reporting around the closure cites it as a zoning problem, Reiff said, “As far as I know, it’s a permitting issue.”
Permitting or zoning? The answer—unless you feel like taking a journey into the Celtic knot of Portland zoning law—is complicated.
But one thing’s clear: They need a new permit. According to Senior Inspector Stew White of the fire marshal’s office, if the building Velo Cult, where Kickstand’s programming is held, is housed in was originally zoned for commercial use, it would need to be permitted for “assembly.” Even though the building—including the basement—was used by customers for 30 years, the city has different regulations for antique mall shopping and gathering for a performance. Boyer said that Velo Cult and Kickstand will need to secure an assembly permit, which allows for large gatherings in structures that weren’t originally intended as performance spaces.
“It doesn’t sound like an easy one,” said White of Kickstand’s situation, adding that a basement space in particular can be challenging to permit—sprinklers, alarms, and two exits are required, as well as seismic reinforcements.
But Sky Boyer, who owns Velo Cult, says the shop’s basement already has sprinklers and alarms, and that he plans to get one exit up to code. He doesn’t have all the answers yet, and is still identifying what changes need to be made, but told me that he and the space’s architects are currently in communication with city officials and the fire marshal. “This is all new to us,” he says.
In the meantime, says Boyer, “A lot of organizations are now homeless.” He cites not just Kickstand but also the space’s other regular occupant, Portland Poetry Slam, and community events Velo Cult frequently hosts.
Though it remains to be seen what will happen with those events, Kickstand’s programming, which some feared would be suspended indefinitely, will continue as soon as Monday, said Reiff. Thanks to local theater organizations Action/Adventure, the Brody Theater, and Curious Comedy Theater, some Kickstand shows will have temporary homes until the space reopens. And some aren’t going far at all—the space’s core programming (shows like the routinely packed Earthquake Hurricane, and Dan Weber’s bible-reading podcast recording) will simply be moved upstairs into Velo Cult, and will operate on a slightly later schedule than normal. Boyer says that the later hours should prevent overlap between the shop’s daytime clientele and comedy audience, to minimize the risk of exceeding a new capacity limit set by the city. The new schedule, with temporary venue information, will be be available on Kickstand’s website.
It “won’t be full-blown Kickstand,” says Boyer, but for the local stand-ups and comedy fans who’ve come to rely on Kickstand’s consistent, wide-ranging schedule of comedy and improv, it’s good news.
Reiff said he was grateful for the outpouring of support from Portland’s theater and comedy communities—especially to the three venues that opened their doors not even a week after venue staff’s announcement that they were seeking temporary space for their shows.
“It’s cool to know everyone has our backs and this is something Portland wants,” he said. “We’re not going anywhere.”