The Landing, owned by Amanda Klaiber, is “a music and drink lounge” that opened on Sept. 22, 2023, at 217b Market St. in Portsmouth. Since the venue has just opened for business, their hours are limited to 3-10 p.m. on Friday and Saturdays, and 2-9 p.m. on Sundays, but once The Landing has settled, Klaiber said she will ask the community to decide the best business hours. As a notoriously hard-to-find building, Klaiber tells patrons that her building is behind Century 21 in Market Square in the Historical Boneyfiddle District.
“Oh! We now have a sign!” Kaliber said, smiling. “Someone dropped off a sign. It just made my day.”
During the lockdown at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Klaiber dreamed up The Landing as a way to keep her going. She cites her husband, Nelson Klaiber, as the one who encouraged her to chase her dream of having a music venue.
“I’ve always wanted this little music lounge place to exist, and I just kept thinking [that] somebody would do it,” Klaiber said. “And then nobody did, so that was it.”
By the beginning of 2021, Klaiber was looking for a space to bring her dream to life. At first, The Landing was a dream for Klaiber to fulfill, but as she began talking to people about her ideas, she realized how needed a space like this was in our community. According to Klaiber, she is not a business person, so she isn’t savvy with business models, which is perhaps the very thing that allowed her to pour so much into this business.
“You’re not going to get rich,” she said. “There’s nothing like it, because again, most business folks are looking to invest in different things, but since I’m not a business person … I got help with the business end from Shawnee and [Kricker Innovation Hub].”
Klaiber said that Joshua Lawson, who worked at Kricker Innovation Hub (KIH) when she completed their first Ignite program two years ago, was the one who told her about the resources KIH offers for businesses. Holly Gail helped Klaiber pitch her business for the Ignite competition, in which Klaiber received $500 for placing among the top five finishers in the event. Lawson introduced Klaiber to David Kilroy and Kelly Gordon at KIH, who also had a hand in helping her reach her goals of bringing The Landing to life.
“One of the first people I talked with was Holly Gail,” Klaiber said. “Then I was talking with folks at [Portsmouth Little Theatre]. That’s where it was such a collaborative thing.”
Outsourcing opinions from the local art community about the kind of venue they would like to see has created a decidedly local atmosphere at The Landing. Every decoration on the wall, every piece of furniture and every menu item has been curated to reflect local artists and businesses. Klaiber said that one of the worn brick walls of The Landing was dedicated to local photographers who were free to display their work as they pleased, and even sell photos from the wall. Klaiber also mentioned that local businesses like Slow Drip Coffee, a local coffee truck, and Sew Sweet Bakes have items on the menu at The Landing for patrons to enjoy.
Patrons already seem to enjoy the thought that has been put into the space, as Klaiber has received rave reviews from her venue previews. Before officially opening, The Landing hosted birthday parties and poetry and music shows, and everyone had the same thing to say.
“Everyone loves Myrtle,” Klaiber said in reference to her microphone, which has a vintage feel to it. Klaiber notes that Dolly Parton used the same model in a music video once.
Klaiber said that she envisioned acoustic music and open mic nights happening in her space, but when the local poetry group started holding their shows at The Landing, she was thrilled.
“I love that [the poetry group] were the first people to come in and be like, ‘This is our space, and we’re going to build a community around this,’” Klaiber said.
Community truly is the theme of this space. On the wall directly behind the performance space, there are pieces from local artists and photographers, one of which Klaiber said she purchased at Earth Candy Farmacy during Portsmouth’s Art Walk. A photo of the Dairy Creme on Second Street seems to glow, floral paintings complement the blue wall and a vintage photo from a local antique shop Klaiber has drawn on to look like Edgar Allan Poe finishes the scene. Though The Landing may have begun as a way for Klaiber to keep herself motivated, it has become what is sure to be a communal centerpiece after all the effort has been put in to celebrate the place it sits.
This Saturday and Sunday, The Landing will participate in Friends of Portsmouth’s Beer Fest, as well as Glocktoberfest, by having live music outside the building. The Landing’s menu will expand to include Beer Fest-themed items for a limited time.
The Landing is open to be booked for private events like parties, baby showers, graduations and more. If community members want to book the space or have questions, they can reach out to Amanda Klaiber on Facebook, The Landing in Portsmouth on Facebook or @thelandinginportsmouth on Instagram.
