Christine Lilyea wasn’t expecting to be on cloud nine this week, but that’s how she described herself on the afternoon of Jan. 23, following an unexpected call with her landlord. 

“They reduced the rent significantly,” she tells City Paper, referring to the building at 3523 12th St. NE, which houses the Runaway, one of Lilyea’s two burger-slinging venues (the other is Petworth’s Slash Run). The news, and what it means for the city’s rock scene, should make everyone feel a little better: The Brookland venue isn’t going anywhere after all.

Early Saturday, Jan. 20, the Runaway shared in an Instagram post that the evening’s concert—a record release from local punk band Broken Hills—would be “the very last show at the runaway. We made it almost 2 years but, we just can’t hang on any longer.” 

Broken Hills, as well as other local music acts, posted to social media, alerting patrons and lamenting the announcement of the venue’s impending closure. One person wrote in the comments, “This is a huge loss for DC. The moment I first walked into the Runaway I knew it was one of my new favourite spots. Heartbroken to hear this but grateful for the good times.” 

Rob Hart, Broken Hills’ singer and guitarist, describes the club to City Paper as “a real sweet spot as far as DC venues go.” Elaborating over email, Hart continues: “The sound was good, the layout made you feel like you were killing it if there were 20 people there or like you were playing stadiums if there were 50 people there, but more than anything it felt accessible to DC bands. I felt like they were willing to take chances … that they were really trying to nurture something in terms of punk bands and rock bands in this city.” 

In just under two years, the Runaway carved out a niche for itself in the D.C. music scene by hosting smaller acts, including numerous local bands that fall under the very wide umbrella of rock—from punk to metal to grunge. For City Paper’s 2023 People Issue, Lilyea described her dream of opening a second bar, but she was also upfront about the challenges of running two venues. “It has not been easy. We’re kind of just trying to survive at this point,” she told City Paper in early December. “Prices of everything are going up … [but] we want to be around, we want to stay.” 

Over the phone on Tuesday, Lilyea elaborates on the struggle, describing the Runaway’s neighborhood as more family oriented. This has, at times, caused a clash between dinner service and bands coming in for sound check, which can make some diners feel pressured to leave. “We were trying to balance those two things out,” she explains. “Which is something I had to do at Slash too and we eventually figured it out.” As the sole owner of both venues, Lilyea has also been working to build a solid crew to help her run the Northeast spot, something she mostly achieved in the past few months and officially scratched off her to-do list with the recent hiring of a new chef who will take over the menus at the Runaway and Slash Run.

“I’ve been telling people, the past couple of months has been like the best crew I’ve ever had,” she says. “If I had them a year ago I’d be in a much better position.”

But with costs and stress levels rising, Lilyea started to question if she could make the Runaway successful. Shortly after taking over booking bands for both venues on Jan. 4, she decided to pause scheduling shows for February. “I felt sort of deflated,” she admits. “Like this is just not going to happen. It’s just not gonna work.” So she made it Instagram official. 

But over the weekend, while working some extra shifts, she says customers came in, some crying, to tell her how important the venue has become to them. “I was just … oh man, nothing short of a miracle can make this happen—like something out of Empire Records where they save the record store,” she says. “But I felt like this has to happen. Something’s gonna happen. And it did.” She pauses and laughs. “How crazy.”

Lilyea says she spoke with the venue’s landlord Tuesday morning and “I told them, ‘this is what we’re going through,’ and they reduced the rent significantly.” The lease will stay in place for another eight years. “They just want us to get back on our feet,” she says.

The Runaway’s final event was to be held this Saturday, Jan. 27. Now that same event is going to be a celebration because the venue is here to stay. “I’ll be here for a very long time,” says Lilyea. “We’re really stoked and the staff get to keep their jobs!” 

For the time being, the space will keep its reduced hours, operating nightly Wednesday through Saturday (though when they release the revamped menu, Lilyea plans to reopen for weekend brunch). The music, which Lilyea will continue to book, will go on, albeit a little later at night to make space for diners. 

“We’re gonna continue doing shows, but probably doing more on the DJ side. And we’re going to be more selective on the shows,” says Lilyea, excited for the possibilities. “Now we have a chef and having the landlord reduce the rent so significantly—it’s huge … We’re gonna be sticking around.”

The Runaway is open Wednesday through Saturday night, hours vary depending on the day. therunawaydc.com.