The Comedy Store

What The Comedy Store does

The Comedy Store is a privately held stand-up comedy nightclub founded on April 7, 1972, operating from the iconic 8433 Sunset Boulevard address in Los Angeles, with a second location at 916 Pearl St in La Jolla, California. The Hollywood flagship houses three distinct performance rooms — the Main Room (Mitzi Shore's headliner showcase), the Original Room (the venue's 1972 birthplace and intimate late-night space), and the Belly Room (a second-floor testing ground for developing comedians built by Yakov Smirnoff). Programming runs 7 nights per week across multiple show formats including The Originals, Headliners, Best of the Store XL, Roast Battle, Sunday Potluck, and Horribly Funny, plus open mics and educational stand-up workshops in La Jolla.

The venue's primary technology is the Yondr phone-free system, which locks guest phones in cases during shows to protect performer material and create a focused audience experience. Ticketing is centralized on Showclix and Leapevents, with the venue explicitly refusing third-party resold tickets. F&B is anchored by a mandatory 2-drink minimum per attendee and an on-site Ciro's Pizza restaurant at the Hollywood location, and the company also operates a branded merchandise e-commerce store.

Commercially, The Comedy Store is a B2C live entertainment business monetizing individual ticket buyers, on-site beverage minimums, food sales, and merchandise. Distribution is event-driven: nightly shows promoted through organic social media (Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, YouTube), an email newsletter, and comedian-driven word-of-mouth. The customer base comprises 21+ comedy enthusiasts (both local regulars and tourists) and the comedians themselves, who use the venue as a career-launching performance platform. The company employs 51–100 people, has no public listing, and shows no evidence of institutional investment or acquisition activity.

Name

The Comedy Store

Legal name

The Comedy Store

Website

https://thecomedystore.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Comedy Store is a privately held, 50+ year-old stand-up comedy nightclub on Los Angeles' Sunset Boulevard, with a second location in La Jolla. It operates three performance rooms running nightly shows, monetizing 21+ audiences via tickets, a 2-drink minimum, on-site Ciro's Pizza, and branded merchandise.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: The Comedy Store generates primary revenue through ticket sales for nightly comedy shows. Tickets are sold through Showclix and Leapevents platforms. 3rd party tickets are not accepted.
2. Food and Beverage: Revenue from Ciro's Pizza and bar sales. All shows require a 2 drink minimum per person, which can be alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages. Popcorn is also sold.
3. Merchandise: Sale of Comedy Store branded merchandise including apparel items like the ¾ sleeve raglan shirt.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Comedy Store operates a live stand-up comedy nightclub on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood with three performance rooms (Main Room, Original Room, and Belly Room) hosting nightly headline, showcase, and developing-talent shows seven nights a week. A second location in La Jolla, California replicates the format and also offers an in-person six-week stand-up workshop. Ancillary revenue comes from a 2-drink food and beverage minimum, on-site Ciro's Pizza, and branded merchandise.

Product overview

The Comedy Store is a legendary comedy club venue offering live stand-up comedy performances through three distinct showroom experiences: the Main Room (the flagship showroom for headliners), the Original Room (the historic room where the club began in 1972), and the Belly Room (a testing ground for developing comedians). The company also operates a second location in La Jolla, California. The product portfolio includes comedy shows ranging from headline performances (The Originals, Headliners of the OR, Best of the Store XL) to specialty formats (Potluck shows, Roast Battle, Horribly Funny), educational programming (in-person stand-up comedy workshops), and merchandise sales. The venue uses Yondr bags to create phone-free spaces and partners with ShowClix and LeapEvents for ticketing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Comedy Store La Jolla: Second location of the comedy club in La Jolla, San Diego, California
• Ciro's Pizza

Products and services

• The Comedy Store Main Room The main showroom at The Comedy Store Hollywood, created by Mitzi Shore, designed to feature established comedy heavyweights, headline acts, and surprise pop-ins. It is the largest performance space at the venue and serves adult comedy audiences (21+) seeking marquee stand-up acts.
• The Original Room The historic performance room where The Comedy Store began on April 7, 1972, featuring intimate shows and late-night sets for superstar comedians testing material and finding their voices. Used for formats such as The Originals, Headliners of the OR, and Sunday Headliners.
• The Belly Room A second-floor testing ground at The Comedy Store Hollywood for developing comedians, built by Yakov Smirnoff and his father. It has operated for four decades as a launching pad for new comedy voices and hosts popular shows and podcasts.
• The Comedy Store La Jolla The Comedy Store's second physical location in La Jolla, California, at 916 Pearl St, serving the San Diego market. It hosts live stand-up comedy shows and offers tickets, classes, and information similar to the main Hollywood venue.
• In-Person All Levels Stand-Up Workshop A six-week in-person stand-up comedy workshop at The Comedy Store La Jolla, taught by Lisa Sundstedt, covering joke writing and performance technique and culminating in a live audience showcase. Priced at $475 and targeted at aspiring comedians at all levels.
• Comedy Store Merchandise Store Official branded merchandise store at shop.comedystore.com, offering Comedy Store apparel and other branded items such as the 3/4 sleeve raglan shirt, targeted at fans and visitors.
• Ciro's Pizza On-site pizza restaurant at The Comedy Store Hollywood, serving as the venue's food service partner and offering hot fresh popped popcorn, supporting the 2-drink minimum food and beverage program.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• YondrcoreTechnology or IntegrationYondr provides phone-free venue technology used at The Comedy Store. Upon arrival, all phones and smart watches are placed in Yondr cases and unlocked at the end of the show. Guests maintain possession of phones and may access them in designated Phone Use Areas. This creates phone-free performance spaces for artists and comedians.
• Ciro's PizzaminorOthersCiro's Pizza is connected to The Comedy Store as an on-site food service option. The venue offers hot fresh popped popcorn and Ciro's Pizza serves as the venue's restaurant partner.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Caroline's on Broadway:
• The Laugh Factory: The Laugh Factory is a long-standing Sunset Boulevard comedy club founded in 1979 by Jamie Masada. It is the most direct competitor to The Comedy Store, operating similar nightly show formats, 2-drink minimum policies, and serving the same LA comedy-enthusiast and tourist audience.
• Hollywood Improv: Hollywood Improv is one of the most recognized comedy clubs on the Sunset Strip/Hollywood corridor, offering nightly stand-up across multiple rooms and serving a near-identical customer base to The Comedy Store with comparable show formats.
• The Comedy Cellar: The Comedy Cellar is an iconic New York City comedy club on MacDougal Street, founded in 1982. It is the East Coast equivalent of The Comedy Store in terms of brand prestige, nightly headline programming, and reputation as a proving ground for top-tier comedians.
• Zanies Comedy Nightclub: Zanies operates multiple comedy clubs across the U.S. (Nashville, Chicago, Rosemont, Vernon Hills, Indianapolis, Nashville, Phoenix) with similar nightly stand-up formats, 2-drink minimums, and food/beverage service — a comparable multi-location comedy club operator.
• Helium Comedy Club: Helium operates comedy clubs in Portland, Indianapolis, and St. Louis with restaurant-and-bar service integrated into the venue. It mirrors The Comedy Store's combined ticket-plus-F&B model and offers a comparable multi-room show format.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheComedyStore
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@TheComedyStore
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheComedyStore
• Instagraminstagram.com/thecomedystore
• TikToktiktok.com/@thecomedystore
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thecomedystore

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 The Comedy Store