Article and videos by contributor Ella Warren
The Instagram post from the Golden Pony last Monday delivered a blow to Harrisonburg’s music scene. After 11 years of hosting local and nationally known bands, the restaurant and bar will close in June.
The Pony, as it’s colloquially known, sits on North Main Street and serves brunch, beer and a healthy dose of art and music. With a large basement bar that has housed hundreds of concerts, the restaurant-stage combo holds a reputation as the most prominent music venue in Harrisonburg.
In the Instagram post, owner and founder Paul Somers said despite widespread community support, the “existential reality of our viability as a business” led to his decision to close.
“Labor costs are up, and it’s difficult to find the right balance of pricing things versus pushing customers away. The economy and inflation certainly don’t seem to be helping,” Somers said.
Being a small business in a college town presents its own set of challenges for the already-turbulent restaurant and music industries. Sales are high during the academic year but taper off during breaks, making for tight margins. Economic inflation motivates restaurants to raise prices, but with the city and state collecting large percentages of their taxes, pricing becomes difficult. One catastrophic event could spell irrecoverable doom.
In the past year and half, the costs of maintaining the building and equipment added up while cash flow declined, and the venue lost a key source of revenue in February. One of the Golden Pony’s former employees sold alcohol to an undercover, underage Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority (ABC) customer, according to a Feb. 2 Instagram post. As a result, the Golden Pony’s alcohol license was suspended for 30 days, and it paid a $7,500 fine. It also had to relocate or cancel the February shows.
“There’s always some risk involved with having an ABC license, because if you’re a music venue and restaurant, you know that is a key factor of the way that you make money,” Somers said. “It’s just a very risky business.”
Such external pressures were spelling out the end, but Somers put off making a decision until finally, he couldn’t ignore the signs anymore.
“Before things got out of control or we were unable to pay our people, to pay our bills, taxes, we decided to get in front of it, bring things to an end on a high note and on our own terms,” Somers said. “It’s a very difficult decision but also a clear-cut decision that needed to be made.”
Before the June closure, the Golden Pony has three more live music performances: sold-out show Terror Hardcore on May 18, Southern Culture on the Skids on May 23, and a final showcase across June 5 and 6.
“The bands that we have for [the final showcase]… it’s going to be a really great show. People are going to have a good time,” Somers said.
The Golden Pony will continue to hold weekly events such as karaoke and brunch until the official closure.
“If you haven’t been there or you felt like you haven’t been there enough, go see a show there and appreciate what it’s like to be in that basement where you’re so close to the artist that you can literally reach out and touch them,” said Ray Enke, a member of bands Jo and Ray and Scantron The Destroÿÿer.
Origins and events
Over its 11 years of operation, the Golden Pony cultivated a space for Harrisonburg’s vibrant music scene to shine.
Before creating the Golden Pony, Somers worked as the bar manager at the Blue Nile: an Ethiopian restaurant in the same building. The Blue Nile hosted live music shows and DJ sets over the weekends. When the Blue Nile closed in 2014, Somers knew there’d be a void in the local music scene.
“As someone that’s worked in the restaurant industry since I was 16, I never wanted to open a restaurant… I could never imagine how you would make money doing a business like that because the margins are so thin,” Somers said. “Fast forward to the Blue Nile closing… I felt a higher calling to foster something. Without somebody stepping in and doing something, it’s just going to go away altogether.”
Launching the Golden Pony was a collaborative effort.
Somers worked with Elliot Downs and Linda Bostrom on the Golden Pony’s branding and marketing. Together with Colin Offerman, they developed their first menu and secured the lease. He and Valerie Smith launched a crowdfunding campaign to support their start, raising $10,000 in the first 24 hours. The Golden Pony’s opening on St. Patrick’s Day in 2015 was an immediate success.
While money was tight in the beginning, the Golden Pony established itself as an integral piece of Harrisonburg culture. The venue saw performances from college bands, local musicians, groups touring in the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia area and even Grammy-winning artists such as Albert Lee.
“Any band coming into town, they’re going to play the Pony. That’s just a guarantee,” said Baylor Dudley, guitarist for Valley Depalma.
In addition to traditional music shows, the Golden Pony organized special events. The annual Halloween cover shows featured bands that each played a 30-minute set. Rock Lotto pieced together a motley crew of strangers and gave them six weeks to rehearse a show for the Pony.
“Seeing a bunch of ragtag people put together in bands was really fun,” said Enke.
Beyond music, the Golden Pony also collaborated with the Furious Flower Poetry Center at JMU to host open mics and poetry readings. Local artisans sold wares at pop-up markets, and people could play the retro video game machines at the front of the restaurant. As more shows sold out, the Golden Pony’s reputation for music and community grew.
The Pony’s legacy
From customers to musicians to staff, the Golden Pony had an effect on the Harrisonburg community.
“I actually enjoy working here. Compared to a lot of other places I’ve [worked at], I feel like the culture here is a lot different,” said Daniel Umberger, the kitchen manager. “Everybody gets along. There’s no drama, and everyone shows up and gets stuff done.”
For JMU student bands, the Golden Pony was a dream venue.
“The Golden Pony represented that shining North Star, the shining light… if we could just sell out the Golden Pony once, then we can make it,” Dudley said.
Valley Depalma, a four-piece student band originating in Harrisonburg, played their first show at the Pony as a substitute opener for The Thing. Establishing connections with other artists encouraged Valley Depalma to create their own music, and they returned to the Pony twice as sold-out show headliners.
“[The Golden Pony] gave us a lot of great opportunities to play, and they were always so nice. The staff there were always so good to us,” said Jack O’Bier, drummer for Valley Depalma.
Another Harrisonburg-based band, Scantron The Destroÿÿer, counts their Led Zepplin and Dead Kennedys sets at the Golden Pony Halloween cover shows among their favorite performances.
“It’s really exciting to play there because… it’s been the highest pinnacle venue in town. So you always get amped up to play the Pony. You want to have your best show there,” Enke said.
Somers said he believes strongly in the power of community and culture, and he worked hard to foster a welcoming environment despite challenges in running a music business.
“Art, culture, and music are things that don’t track on a one-to-one basis with the economy, but indirectly, I think they make a massive impact on quality of life and attracting people here,” Somers said.
As of May 17, the closure announcement on Instagram has 3,507 likes, 370 comments, and 2,576 shares. Commenters reminisced on memories from the Pony, chanting the venue’s motto: “Stay Gold.”
“I’m definitely sad that we can’t get to go back there and play again,” O’Bier said.
Commenters agreed that the Golden Pony’s closure would leave a void in the downtown community.
“If you’re in the music scene in Harrisonburg, or even if you just love live music… that’s the place you’re always checking the schedule to see. So it’s a huge loss,” Enke said.
Parting message
The Golden Pony combined Somers’ previous work experiences and skills into one job, and his contributions to the business made the venue special.
“[I’m a] former middle school teacher… My ability to deal with drunk people is pretty good. They’re very similar to kids,” Somers joked.
Somers’ future plans are up in the air. Possibilities include finding new work or returning to school. Though he is unsure what lies beyond the Pony, he said he’s hopeful that something new will take over the spot.
“[I’m] so excited to see who owns it next. I hope that they can see and recognize the value that live music has and work to keep that going in the community,” O’Bier said.
While the Golden Pony closing leaves a vacancy in the local music scene, other venues such as Sagebird Ciderworks, Restless Moons and Coffee Hound have stages available for bands.
“I’m glad that we have these spaces that are doing cool shows and feeding the culture,” Somers said.
“There’s definitely places to play, but [the Golden Pony] was a great place for… students and locals to go and get that feel with the JMU community,” O’Bier added. “So I feel like with that going away, it might be a little bit harder to find that or have those opportunities.”
In the end, one thought lingered in Somers’ mind.
“The one thing that keeps recurring in my mind is my appreciation for everybody that’s ever helped do anything, whether it was… booking the shows or working the bar, managing the restaurant… all of these bands that play,” Somers said. “I really appreciate the opportunity and the honor to be able to do something like this for 11 years… it definitely has changed my life.”
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