Niko Rubio performing her first headliner show in Bakersfield

Woolworth’s Luncheonette opened its doors to their brand-new Basement venue Jan. 31. With an intimate-sized room featuring sleek, brand-new furnishings such as a bar area and side-stage VIP seating, guests can listen to live music as close to the stage as they’d like. The venue’s high-quality speaker system lets the sounds vibrate through the body, with colorful lighting enhancing the mood on the dance floor.

Talent radiates through each aspect of the main stage, where every note was hit by the singers and supported wholly by the Woolies house band, who learned over 40 songs to prepare for the grand showing. Emily Waite, the owner of the Woolworth’s building, emphasized the diversity of musical genres as she was excited to present local country, R&B, and rap artists Jon Ranger, Monty Byrom, Jennifer Keel, Ryan Coulter, Jediah Bear, and Keyne D’Var. Headlining the event was R&B singer David Davis and Latin indie singer Niko Rubio, who both performed in Bakersfield from Los Angeles for the first time. Despite Bakersfield’s country roots, the headliners were “pleasantly surprised” at how welcoming the crowd was to their fresh new sound.

Not only does the Basement unite the community through music, but it also benefits the local economy. During a time when corporations line up most of the streets in Bakersfield, some say it’s more important than ever to support local, family-owned businesses. Augie Petaja, the General Manager of The Basement at Woolworth’s, promises to help maintain Bakersfield’s culture.

“When you go to see a concert at an independent venue, you are likely going to go out for dinner, which means that local restaurants benefit. People like coming from out of town; hotels are going to benefit. There’s the foot traffic; retail in downtown Bakersfield is going to benefit. It’s one of those things where if we’re putting on successful events with 300 plus people in the venue on any given day, it’s going to mean good things for the surrounding businesses,” Petaja explains.

At the Basement, there is something for everyone to enjoy, and encourages people to discover new sounds. People can look forward to the Basement’s next venture, where the Warped Band will perform for the first time in years on February 28th, 2026.