On February 17, The Watershed, a local bar, officially relinquished its claim to a lively Commons location over to K-House. K-House, a beloved karaoke bar at night and a karaoke space for children’s birthday parties during the day, closed its Triphammer location in June 2025 due to a variety of architectural issues. To adjust to a smaller space after their move downtown, they no longer have private karaoke rooms, and instead utilize two large rooms. The upstairs acts as a traditional karaoke bar and the downstairs space as a more fluid venue. Nightly live events range from Latin Night with local musicians and DJs, to queer trivia with drag queen performances. K-House even reaches beyond the physical bounds of their location to host pop-up karaoke events at festivals like Chili Fest and artistic spaces like the Mix Art Gallery.
In the spirit of investigative journalism, we decided to go check out the new K-House. We went on a Friday evening at 6 pm, keeping in mind that it turns into a bar for people ages twenty-one and up at 8. That evening turned out to be a gallery night showcasing the work of local artists. What we found was a mostly empty bar with a handful of middle-aged men singing their hearts out to bands like The Smiths and Radiohead. Although we acknowledge that our experience was heavily tainted by the time we decided to go, we think it shows just how dedicated K-House is to including everyone. Their limited website even has a section dedicated to saying that people of all ages are welcome, and that young people are even encouraged to come so that they can learn from and experience live performances.
K-House’s inclusivity is also shown through their new Q-Space, downstairs of the traditional bar. The Q-Space is a pay-what-you-can daytime lounge space for queer members of the community that often holds workshops and performances. Open from 9 am to 1 pm, Monday through Wednesday, the space runs on an optional membership system, wherein you can pay twenty-five dollars a month in exchange for free drinks and an assortment of small discounts at a few local Ithaca businesses. This membership helps fund the space and keeps it free for people who are not in a position to pay.
The upstairs space also serves as a daytime cafe thanks to Farm to Feast NY. Farm to Feast NY is a small company consisting of two chefs who own a farm in upstate New York that specialize in Japanese cuisine. From Wednesday to Sunday, K-House serves as the primary kitchen for the local farm to fork business. During Farm to Feast hours, the karaoke machines are turned off, however the downstairs space remains open for live music performances.
With a move into the heart of downtown Ithaca, K-House has the opportunity to firmly establish their role in the Ithaca community. K-House’s various community outreach initiatives truly have one goal in mind—to create an inclusive, available space to express yourself.
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