Although we’ve never been there, the Boutiki run by San Jose-based comics publisher SLG has always sounded like a cool place: a storefront and performance space that sold comics and has a tiki theme in keeping with publisher Dan Vado’s sensibilities. But now, in a dime-a-dozen story of real estate improvement, the space must close by next summer as the building is being razed to make way for an apartment building.
Vado hopes to find a new space to house the venue, however, even if finding the right one won’t be easy. The Boutiki was part of the neighborhood:
The Art Boutiki has hosted regular all-ages concerts for the last three years. A fundraiser was held less than a month ago to replace a violin stolen from Curious Quail’s violinist Alan Chen. Bands brought in their families and friends, and spread the word about the cause which, in turn, brought in other supporters who helped raise funds for a new instrument.
“It’s rare to see such strong community come together to help a fellow musician and it just gave me warm fuzzies,” says Zen Zenith, co-founder of the bimonthly concert series the Rock Hop. “I can’t imagine that it would happen anywhere other than Art Boutiki.”
The quirky décor of the performance space—tikis, comic books and t-shirts displayed for sale, a vinyl record stage backdrop and the infamous penguin always on stage—is also a favorite among many local bands.
Update: As seen by the post below, ALL of SLG’s offices and publishing operations must move, making this a pretty grave threat to the long running indie.
Thanks for sharing this with your readers. This is a huge thing for us not just in the loss of the gallery space, but our entire operation is here, publishing, warehouse, mail order, the works.
Finding a space we can afford is going to be a task and might mean we ditch the gallery, I didn’t exactly look at my calendar and decide that 2013 would be a good time to move.
So, if anyone wonders why we have been so quite lately, this is why.
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