""We're dying a slow death here, and there was no pathway to break even," Vado told San José Spotlight. "I've been working without a paycheck since COVID.""
""Losing this platform deepens a significant gap in our music scene and reinforces the sentiment that local musicians and bands must leave the city to build careers," Urbanowski told San José Spotlight. "Art Boutiki wasn't just a venue, it was a community lifeline. Its absence will be felt for years to come.""
Art Boutiki in San Jose will close at the end of December after 16 years. The venue also operated as a shop selling graphic novels and a large selection of Tiki items while hosting eclectic performances across genres. Attendance fell 25% from last year and the business has not been profitable since the pandemic; the owner has worked without a paycheck since COVID and saw no pathway to break even. Closure will shrink live-music options to a few remaining venues and a soon-to-open Pete Be Center. The venue originated in 2009 when a graphic-novel publisher converted an empty warehouse into a performance area and later moved to 44 Race St, serving as an all-ages incubator and community lifeline for local musicians.
Read at San Jose Spotlight
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