Harlow’s

What Harlow’s does

Harlow's is an independently owned live music venue and entertainment facility located at 2708 J Street in Midtown Sacramento, California, established in 1982. Originally opened as a cafe, the business evolved into a restaurant and later transitioned to its current identity as a live music venue. The venue has hosted a mix of nationally recognized touring acts (Phoebe Bridgers, Big Freedia, Mazzy Star, Jack Harlow, PUP) and local artists at early career stages (Hobo Johnson, Dog Party, Tycho), and operates three distinct event spaces: the main Harlow's room (capacity up to 300 for cocktail events, 120-150 for seated events), The Starlet Room located on the second floor (capacity 65-200, oriented toward underground and emerging artists), and a back patio with fire pits, heat lamps, and full bar service.

The company's revenue is generated across five primary streams: ticket sales routed through a multi-channel setup (website, Etix online, Etix phone sales, in-person box office), food and beverage operations through an on-site kitchen and full bar, private event rentals (weddings, corporate functions, private parties with required catering), venue merchandise sold through Big Cartel and at the venue, and VIP services including booth and table rentals plus seating upgrades. Distribution and marketing rely on direct channels — Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, an email newsletter, the website, a curated Spotify playlist, and co-promotion with event promoters and partners such as Atlantean Collective. Harlow's has no proprietary technology stack; ticketing is outsourced to Etix, and the e-commerce layer for merchandise is hosted on Big Cartel.

Harlow's is a privately held company with no disclosed funding rounds, no parent company, and no evidence of institutional investment. The firm is a member of the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) and helped found the California Capitol Venue Coalition (CCVC), positioning it within a national industry advocacy network. The leadership team is not publicly disclosed in the input materials beyond a chief marketing officer designation; the company operates as a closely held entertainment venue business serving the Sacramento market.

Name

Harlow’s

Legal name

Harlow's

Website

https://harlows.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Harlow's is an independently owned Sacramento live music venue, founded in 1982, operating three event spaces (main room, The Starlet Room, back patio) hosting national touring acts, emerging artists, and private events including weddings and corporate functions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Music Venue

NAICS

Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Live Music Bars & Venues (CRANACAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bars & Pubs (Non-Music) (MPAGAIAC), VIP, Hospitality & Premium Experiences (Packages, Clubs, Suites) (MPAIAFAK)

Keywords

• Live music venue
• Concert events
• Private event hosting
• Ticketed entertainment
• Music venue rentals

Headquarters

HQ city

Sacramento

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from ticket sales for live music events at both Harlow's main room and The Starlet Room. Tickets sold online via Etix, at box office, and through phone orders.
2. Food & Beverage Sales: Revenue from full bar service and kitchen operations serving food at most events with door times of 8PM or earlier.
3. Private Event Rentals: Revenue from renting three spaces: Harlow's main room (up to 300 cocktail/150 seated), The Starlet Room (65-200 people), and back patio. Catering is required for private events.
4. Merchandise: Sale of venue merchandise including apparel and accessories through Big Cartel online store and at the venue.
5. VIP Services: Revenue from VIP booth rentals (seating 8-10), VIP table rentals (seating 4 or 2), and general seating upgrades at shows.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Harlow's is an independent live music venue in Midtown Sacramento operating since 1982 that hosts ticketed concerts featuring national touring acts and local artists across two primary spaces — the main Harlow's room (capacity up to 300 cocktail/150 seated) and the upstairs Starlet Room (capacity 65-200) for underground and emerging artists. The venue also rents its spaces for private events including wedding receptions, corporate functions, and celebrations, supported by on-site kitchen and full bar service.

Product overview

Harlow's is a Sacramento-based independent music venue and entertainment space established in 1982, consisting of three primary offerings: the main Harlow's venue (a midtown music club with a full bar, stage, and dance floor accommodating up to 300 guests), The Starlet Room (an intimate upstairs venue for underground and emerging artists accommodating 65-200 guests), and the Back Patio (an outdoor event space with fire pits and full bar). The venue also offers food and beverage service, VIP seating options, ticket sales through multiple channels, and coat check services. Harlow's hosts national touring acts and local musicians, supports private event rentals, and is a member of NIVA and the California Capitol Venue Coalition.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Harlow's Main Venue (Live Music Performances)

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• NIVA (National Independent Venue Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHarlow's is a member of NIVA, the National Independent Venue Association created in response to the pandemic to advocate for independent entertainment venues facing potential permanent closures.
• CCVC (California Capitol Venue Coalition)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHarlow's helped found the California Capitol Venue Coalition to unify and advocate for Sacramento's independent entertainment venues at the local level, giving these spaces a larger voice and raising awareness about the importance of live entertainment venues.
• EtixcoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party ticketing platform provider handling online ticket sales, phone orders, and box office operations for Harlow's events.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Ace of Spades: Independent live music venue operating in Sacramento, CA with comparable capacity (800-1,000 in main room), multi-room layout, and similar focus on touring and emerging artists. Direct competitor for Sacramento-based concert-goers and booking agents routing California dates.
• The Independent: Long-running independent live music club in San Francisco with similar 500-capacity scale, full bar programming, and reputation for hosting emerging and established touring artists. Closest analog in terms of operating model to Harlow's main room.
• The Troubadour: Historic independent music venue in Los Angeles (~400 capacity) with national reputation for artist development — comparable size, history of launching careers, and bar/concert hybrid model similar to Harlow's and its Starlet Room.
• First Avenue & 7th St Entry: Iconic independent Minneapolis venue operating a main room plus an attached smaller club (7th St Entry) for emerging acts — directly mirrors Harlow's main-room + Starlet Room structure and four-decade artist-development heritage.
• 9:30 Club: Independent Washington DC live music venue of similar heritage (opened 1980s), full-bar programming, ~1,200 capacity, and NIVA-affiliated profile — highly comparable as a mid-sized independent music club with advocacy involvement.
• Brooklyn Bowl: Multi-revenue music venue combining live concerts, full bar, and food service in a single footprint — mirrors Harlow's combination of stage, kitchen, and bar experience with similar ticket/F&B/private-event mix.
• Exit/In: Long-running (~300 capacity) independent Nashville music club with similar scale, all-ages policy, and touring-artist programming orientation — directly comparable in business model and operational footprint.

Broad incumbents

• The Fillmore: Historic larger-capacity (~1,150) San Francisco Bay Area music venue now operated under Live Nation; competes for the same touring acts and Sacramento-region audiences at a larger scale, with broader corporate infrastructure Harlow's lacks.
• House of Blues: National chain of music venues with restaurant/bar programming; a Live Nation–owned broader incumbent offering overlapping live-music-plus-F&B experience at larger scale across multiple U.S. markets.

Others

• Etix: Third-party ticketing platform that already handles Harlow's online, phone, and box-office sales — included as an enabling ecosystem partner that defines the venue's primary distribution and customer-data infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/harlowsniteclub
• Facebookfacebook.com/harlowsnightclub
• Instagraminstagram.com/harlowsnightclub

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Harlow’s