The Infinity Room, a popular performance venue in the heart of downtown Salem, has announced its final day of operations as June 21, 2025 via its Instagram page. However, this closure could be revoked if “someone [was] interested in buying and continuing the business before the official closing date,” according to an article by the Statesman Journal.
Known for its eclectic mix of music, comedy and drag shows, the Infinity Room has become a staple location for local and visiting performing artists who have looked to join downtown Salem’s art scene. As one of the few establishments that remains open for entertainment later into the night and contains a fully vegan menu and bar, the business became known as a late-night hangout location for Salem locals and Willamette University students. Events and its variable opening hours can be found on its website.
Emma Jonas (’15), a Willamette alum and co-owner of the Infinity Room since April 2022, noted some of the reasons behind the closure announcement. With financial burdens becoming heavier over the years, “running a business is very taxing,” Jonas stated. “Rent is increasing, utilities are increasing, but pay is not increasing, so we can’t rely as much on people having the extra income to spend money on their day off as frequently.”
Jonas also explained the origins of the Infinity Room, which opened as a merger of the businesses Capital City Theater and The Space Concert Club. The Infinity Room continually hosts bands and comedy shows, attracting audience members with well-known performers such as MC Chris, The Dry County Crooks and Eddie Pepitone.
Along with showcasing a variety of comedy and music artists from different genres and backgrounds, drag shows have allowed the Infinity Room to generate a community driven by diversity and inclusion. Leading drag queen RiRi Caliente hosts and books shows with other local and traveling queens to schedule appearances and performances at the Infinity Room.
The Infinity Room’s versatility as a space for creativity and acceptance also created an open environment for Willamette to host the colloquium “Improv: Making Something From Nothing.” For the past two years, the colloquium concluded its semester with a final improv show at the Infinity Room. Expressed on Willamette’s colloquium course offerings website, the program is taught by chemistry professor Chuck Williamson, where the course description states, “No experience in improv or other theater is necessary to join this class — just a willingness to be bold, take a risk, and have fun supporting your fellow improvisers.”
Trevor Bailey (’27), a defensive lineman on Willamette's football team and a business major, participated in Williamson’s improv colloquium during his freshman year. “Improv is being able to unleash that childhood nature of just playing and doing that with adult intelligence. It’s just so much fun,” Bailey recalled.
“I think that was the moment I realized I wanted to be on a stage,” Bailey said. Shortly after discovering his enjoyment of the craft, Bailey began standup comedy performances and found work in the Infinity Room’s all-vegan restaurant. Though his focus has shifted since then toward music production, Bailey has found the opportunity to weave his comedy bits into his new album, “A Costco Manifesto.” In describing the colloquium to rising first years, he emphasized that “it changes your mindset as a person through focusing less on yourself and focusing more on other people, making you much more loving and accepting of others.”
With the Infinity Room moving toward its potential closure, Jonas is hopeful that the establishment will be purchased and run under new management. “We would sell them everything that’s under our ownership, including all the equipment,” Jonas explained. New owners would also be paying for the expertise of Jonas and her team, as they will offer to fully train incoming employees and provide them with all the materials they need to run the Infinity Room.
The uncertainty of whether the Infinity Room will remain open or not will be announced as the summer months begin. “My hope is just that people will take advantage of it while it’s still there, with Monday night improv classes, open-mic Wednesdays and comedy shows on the weekends,” Bailey stated.
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