Bows and Arrows was a Midtown Sacramento hybrid space combining a vintage and repurposed clothing store with an art venue, café and all-ages live-music room at 1815 19th Street.[1][2][3] Co-founded by Trisha Rhomberg and Olivia Coelho, it became a hub for the local independent-music scene before closing; its 19th Street space was succeeded by the short-lived venue Witch Room.[1][4][5] The venture dated back to late 2007, when Coelho and Rhomberg first opened Bows and Arrows on L Street in Midtown — the 19th Street location was a later relocation, not the original address.[6]
At a glance
- Originally opened late 2007 on L Street; relocated to 1815 19th Street, Midtown Sacramento in June 2011.[2][7][3][6]
- Co-founded/run by Trisha Rhomberg and Olivia Coelho ("the get shit done girls").[1][4]
- Hosted all-ages live music, art shows, and community events; also sold vintage/repurposed clothing and locally-made jewelry.[1][2][8][9]
- Online presence: bowscollective.com.[7][10]
- Closed late January / early February 2014; the space was taken over by Witch Room, which itself shut down in late 2014.[4][5][11]
Identity and business model
Bows and Arrows operated as a multi-use "collective" rather than a single-purpose music club, selling vintage and repurposed clothing while also showing art and hosting events.[1] The project had its roots in late 2007, when Olivia Coelho and Trisha Rhomberg opened the original Bows and Arrows on L Street.[6] Before that, according to CBS Sacramento, Coelho had run a boutique called Olipom, while Rhomberg had designed a clothing label called Pretty Trashy.[12]
In late 2010 the operators announced a move to the 1815 19th Street location, targeting a March 1, 2011 opening, paired with a major expansion of the business model: the new space would continue clothing retail but add art shows, live music tied to record releases, and food and drinks.[1] Davis-based Fat Face was confirmed to run the café section.[1] The actual relocation took place in June 2011.[6] The 19th Street incarnation brought together an art gallery, the Fat Face Café (run by Jaymes Luu), the MYTHLAB music label, retail vintage clothing, and locally-made jewelry, with the space decorated throughout using repurposed or recycled materials.[9] The venue's web address was bowscollective.com.[7][10]
As a live-music and event venue
At its 1815 19th Street location, Bows and Arrows became a recurring stop for local and touring acts, typically presenting all-ages shows with modest cover charges ($5–$10).[13][2][8] Songkick documents at least 75 past shows at the venue.[14] Documented bookings include:
- Arts & Leisure (with Allen Clapp and His Orchestra and Knock Knock), May 5, 2012.[13]
- The Souterrain's CD release show for What Ails You, July 20, 2012.[2]
- A night of the 16th NorCal NoiseFest (Sunday, Oct. 7, 2012), including a Sunday brunch at Bows as part of the all-weekend pass.[7]
- The Sacred City Derby Girls' Grown-Up Spelling Bee benefit for Sacramento's Gender Health Center, Oct. 12, 2012.[3]
- Portland trio BRAINSTORM, Nov. 3, 2012.[10]
- Cave Women's debut full-length release show (with Alto and David Alfred), Dec. 19, 2012.[8]
- Chicago artist Angel Olsen (with Villages and Olla), April 24, 2013 — her last U.S. date before an overseas tour.[15]
- PETS' 10-year anniversary show (with Dog Party, a reunion of Ancient Sons, Nacho Business and Shaun Slaughter), Aug. 31, 2013.[16]
- A day of NorCal NoiseFest 2013, including the Crank Ensemble (2:30 p.m.) and Instagon (3:30 p.m.) on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2013.[4]
- The last archived Songkick concert: Autococoon, Pregnant, and Practice, January 29, 2014, consistent with the February 2014 closure.[14]
Role in the local scene
Bows and Arrows functioned as a gathering point for Sacramento's independent and DIY music community. Its January 2012 art show, "Eye-Fi: A Retrospective of SN&R Sacramento Music Scene Photography," collected work by local music photographers (including Wes Davis, Amy Scott, Shoka, Jesse Vasquez, Nick Miller, Carlos Amaya, Don Button, Jon Hermison, Sean Stout and Steven Chea) documenting local acts such as Ganglians, Appetite, Exquisite Corps, DJ Whores, Mahtie Bush, Kill the Precedent, Sea of Bees, Chase Moore, Dead Western and !!!.[17] The space also recurred as a NorCal NoiseFest venue across multiple years.[7][4]
MYTHLAB record label
In late 2010, co-founders Olivia Coelho and Trisha Rhomberg teamed with Sean Stout of Terroreyes.tv to form a record label, MYTHLAB, expected to launch in early 2011 with seven artists lined up to release material.[1] Rhomberg framed the label and the venue expansion as an effort to give local artists "a physical space for us to gather and share ideas" rather than remaining "a loose cosmos of artists."[1] The label's releases were intended to be tied to live shows at the new venue.[1]
Closing and succession (Witch Room)
Bows and Arrows at 1815 19th Street closed in late January or early February 2014. The farewell was documented in the Sacramento News & Review (published February 6, 2014): the closing night featured four punk bands — Boats!, Shoju Kitten, Charles Albright, and Four Eyes — followed by an unofficial final day described as a "10-hour Nerd Night extravaganza."[11] At the time, according to the News & Review, the venue's website hinted at a new shop opening in May, though it was unclear whether it would be "just a shop or another shop-cafe-bar-venue."[18]
By March 2014, Submerge reported the full picture of what followed.[5] Co-founder Trisha Rhomberg planned to re-open Bows and Arrows at a new location along the R Street corridor later that summer.[5] Meanwhile, co-founder Olivia Coelho partnered with Liz Liles (of G. Green), Liz Mahoney (of Screature) and Mark Kaiser (musician and founder of the labels Omnibus and Mt.St.Mtn) to open a new 18-plus live-music venue, Witch Room, in the former Bows space, opening March 25, 2014.[5] Sound was handled by Drew Walker, described as an "old face" carrying over from Bows.[5] Witch Room was short-lived, shutting down late in 2014 with a two-day, mostly local "Sac Go Home Fest" sendoff; sound engineer Drew Walker recorded a free live compilation album of 20 locally tied bands from the fest.[19]