Hamtramck’s High Dive bar quietly reopened under new ownership after changing hands in September.
General manager Leonard Lopp says he and owner Dwayne Wickersham wanted to start things slow when they reopened in October instead of making a big splash.
“It was just me behind the bar. I didn’t really have a staff or anything like that. ... I figured we would just kind of float through the holidays,” Lopp tells Metro Times.
“We’re just two guys with a pretty fairly small budget,” he adds.
In September, former owner David Lew announced he had sold The High Dive, but did not reveal to whom. An artist from Los Angeles also known as Shark Toof, Lew opened the bar in 2018.
The new owners have built off of The High Dive’s vibe, described by Lew as inspired by a Victorian-era parlor room. “We kind of left a lot of what David had done in place in terms of the decor,” Lopp says. “We just got some more seating and made it cozier overall. That was the big thing for us — we wanted to make it more of a spot where people in the community and the neighbors would come and hang out.”
And yes, Lopp says they will keep the signature red fiberglass shark head mounted on the front of the building, but it will be moved inside.
“It’s so goofy, I did not want to get rid of it,” Lopp says.
The new owners also inherited The High Dive’s sound system and plan to continue to host DJs, but they want to branch out from the mostly techno and electronic music the bar was known for under Lew. Aside from music, they will also host movie and game nights.
“From an attitude and programming standpoint, we’re operating more like a neighborhood bar with cool programming during the week,” Lopp says.
So far, the new owners have hosted WDET’s Ryan Patrick Hooper spinning records, a Jeopardy!-style trivia night, and offbeat horror movies presented by Doom City Cinema.
“Our sound system is so great that we also want to just take advantage of using [it] whenever we can,” Lopp says, adding, “I’ve always wanted to do a live music venue or a venue that could also do events and do other fun stuff.”
As far as the menu, Lopp says he is also trying a different approach from most bars with a core menu of four non-alcoholic drinks made from all-natural ingredients, like a hibiscus tea made in-house. Spirits can then be added to the customers’ taste. “It’s almost like reverse-engineering how to build a cocktail,” he says.
“My whole deal is anything that I’m going to make or present to my customers, I’m going to try my best to make sure that it’s additive-free or as clean as possible,” Lopp adds. “A lot of those pre-packaged non-alcoholic beverages have propylene glycol or chemicals in it that I personally wouldn’t want to ingest.”
Lopp previously owned The Keep in downtown Detroit, which closed amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
People can follow The High Dive on its new Instagram page, @thehighdivehamtramck.
