Todd Congelliere’s been making punky, smart-ass, and smart garage rock records and running his own label for more than 35 years, but he swears he’s never made a sound business decision in his life. Case in point: Just before the world of live entertainment shut down because of COVID, Congelliere opened a venue in San Pedro, Calif. Now it’s one of the best spots in all of Southern California to see shows that don’t have steal-your-money corporate service fees, but it nearly died upon opening.

The Sardine hosted its first gig, with Congelliere’s band Toys That Kill headlining, in January 2020. After three years of removing massive ovens (the location used to be a bakery), building the stage and bathrooms, and waiting on L.A. County’s permit process, all while exhausting the record label’s funds and taking out loans, the place got about five weeks of life. “We were still high-fiving each other when they said, ‘You gotta shut it down,’” remembers Congelliere.