Club Cafe launched a GoFundMe campaign Tuesday to preserve the historic music venue.
Owner Danielle Mashuda said donations will help recoup major repair costs incurred over the past year. The venue on Pittsburgh’s South Side required HVAC and freezer repairs and fixes for Club Cafe’s signature neon sign, which was damaged in a winter storm.
“These issues forced temporary closures, lost revenue and reduced shifts for employees. Insurance hasn’t covered the losses, and the venue is now seeking support from the community,” Mashuda wrote on the campaign’s page. She noted Club Cafe also faced winter weather and rising overall costs.
“But we’ve learned so much, made important changes, and feel really excited about where things are heading,” Mashuda wrote.
By Wednesday morning, the campaign raised more than $11,000.
Club Cafe — known as a small and supportive space for both local acts and popular touring artists — was set to close at the end of 2024 after 25 years. Michael Sanders of Opus One Productions, who bought Club Cafe in 2011, sold it to Danielle Mashuda and Maddie Lafferty in April 2025.
Pledging to keep Club Cafe’s name and maintain its legacy, Mashuda and Lafferty revamped the space and reopened last July. They opened a daytime coffeehouse in October, which closed after just five months.
The venue recently hosted a week of shows for the Picksburgh Music Crawl that coincided with the NFL Draft.
A call to Mashuda was not immediately returned on Wednesday.