The High Dive reopens in Hamtramck under new owners, with a non-alcoholic menu and offbeat weeknights

The High Dive, the Victorian-themed bar at 11474 Joseph Campau in Hamtramck, has reopened under new ownership. General manager Leonard Lopp and owner Dwayne Wickersham took over the room and reopened it in October 2024, a month after the previous owner announced the sale.

That previous owner was David Lew, the Los Angeles artist who works as Shark Toof. He bought the former Carbon nightclub space in 2018 and rebuilt it into an immersive bar dressed like a Victorian parlor, heavy on architectural salvage, hand-tooled wallpaper, and stained glass, and known for techno and DJ nights. In September 2024 he posted a public farewell announcing he was handing the bar over. "With a heavy heart filled with extreme gratitude, this is an official announcement to let all of our Community know The High Dive will be changing hands," he wrote, thanking everyone who took part in the bar he called an art piece.

Lopp, who previously ran the downtown cocktail bar The Keep before it closed, kept most of that look intact. The salvaged woodwork, the wallpaper, and the stained glass stayed. So did the bar's signature red fiberglass shark head, which had hung over the front entrance and is now mounted inside.

The bigger change is the programming. The new owners have steered the room away from the all-techno bookings the High Dive was known for and toward a neighborhood bar with offbeat weeknight events. The calendar has included Jeopardy-style trivia nights, monster movie screenings, and soup pop-ups, with DJs and live music still in the mix.

The drinks menu took a turn too. The core list is built around four non-alcoholic drinks made from house ingredients, including a hibiscus tea made in-house and house-infused juices. Customers can add spirits to taste, and the bar's collection leans heavily on tequila and mezcal.

The High Dive, 11474 Joseph Campau, Hamtramck.