In this conversation, Kym (the venue owner) walks us through Pinhook’s 16‑year journey from start‑up to beloved cultural anchor in downtown Durham, NC. She opens by explaining how Prism’s booking and settlement tools have tightened operations enough for a small, 200‑capacity room to pay fair wages—including her own—without sacrificing the club’s community‑first ethos.

Kym then rewinds to Pinhook’s 2008 founding, sharing how a queer‑owned, radically inclusive space was forged to welcome every walk of life while amplifying Durham’s DIY music roots. She dives into the economics of surviving (and thriving) as a small cap venue: offsetting inflation and shifting drinking habits with inventive revenue streams—non‑alcoholic options, staggered early and late shows, and relentless programming creativity.

Mid‑episode, we hear the dramatic story of Pinhook’s brush with closure and the grassroots campaign (boosted by hometown heroes Sylvan Esso) that kept its doors open. Kym pulls back the curtain on the hard math of a 200‑cap business, stressing why community goodwill and eventually owning the building “dirt” matter as much as bar sales.

We wrap with a round of fastballs: her playbook for sustaining a tiny venue over decades, hopes for a fairer, more inclusive music ecosystem, and practical advice for fellow operators—chief among them, “Control your real estate, stay agile, and stay true to the people you serve.”

What You'll Learn This Episode:

• Music Industry as a Labor of Love
  The conversation opens with reflections on how the music business thrives on passion, collaboration, and mutual support. With limited financial rewards, venues like The Pinhook depend on recognizing and valuing the contributions of artists, staff, and community members.

• DIY Venue Management & Fair Pay
  Running a small, independent venue comes with financial and logistical hurdles. From staffing challenges to equipment costs, the guest emphasizes the delicate balance of delivering quality without compromising fair compensation.

• Founding The Pinhook: A Queer Music Space in Durham
  The founder recounts their journey from managing a DIY venue to establishing The Pinhook as a sustainable platform for touring artists, including acts like Future Islands and The Mountain Goats.

• Inclusive Booking & Representation
  A core mission of the venue is to diversify the music scene, prioritizing queer artists, BIPOC performers, and DIY musicians. The founder pushes back against the traditional white male-dominated narratives in the industry.

• Sobriety, Accessibility & Innovation in Bar Culture
  The guest shares how their personal journey with sobriety inspired changes in venue operations—such as non-alcoholic drinks, early shows, and alternative revenue streams like kombucha and coffee, which often yield higher margins than alcohol.

• Financial Resilience Through Community Support
  Facing unexpected tax debt, The Pinhook turned to its community with secret fundraising shows—demonstrating the power of local support and grassroots resilience.

• Balancing Business and Community
  The founder discusses the tension between financial sustainability and the mission to serve as a community hub. There's an ongoing exploration of how to reduce dependence on alcohol sales while still supporting the local arts ecosystem.

• Intimacy in Live Music
  The episode highlights the magic of small-scale performances and secret shows, which build authentic artist-audience connections and preserve the intimacy of live music experiences.

• Final Thoughts: Centering Humanity in Music
  The conversation concludes with a heartfelt call to prioritize people over profit—urging venue owners, artists, and fans alike to foster collaboration, equity, and genuine human connection in the music industry.