What is Art Butiki you might ask? A Comic book store, a T-shirt printing business, and an all age music venue, in short a cool place to hang out.
We visited during comic store hours, Monday – Friday 11am to 4pm. With an interesting selection of comic books and t-shirts, the store also has some seats and two sofas to let you chill. Behind the counter the owner Dan Vado explained the uphill battle of running a cult classic store and music venue, and let us peek in the back at the event space.
While Covid closed the place down, he found a workaround by recording local artists. The resulting videos can still be watched on YouTube or the Art Butiki website. Offering local musicians a stage for an all age audience is a tough business. Ticket prices for the shows are only around $20. The 300 person venue looks cozy and iconic, decorated with a lot of tiki figures.
I came across Art Butiki while I researched my list for 50 Free Things to do in San José. They have some events that are free, like a Drink ‘n Draw, open mic, and jazz jam. While I usually only note things in my 50 lists that I have been to, I include these because I still want to check out events at Art Butiki. I hope you’ll visit this independently owned venue and support local artists.
Art Butiki is located at 44 Race Street in San Jose’s The Alameda neighborhood. Parking might be a challenge; if you have to park in the neighborhood be mindful.