The long-dark storefront at 1400 Alhambra Boulevard in East Sacramento has a new owner and a new purpose. Mark Hutchason, who already runs a plumbing business and a luxury resale shop in Elk Grove, has acquired the former Blue Lamp nightclub building and plans to turn it into a secondhand luxury goods store selling watches, handbags and jewelry.
Hutchason acquired the 2,554-square-foot retail and office building in mid-July for just over $900,000, according to the Sacramento Bee, which first reported the purchase. The property had sat on the market for five years, per listing records reviewed by PropertyShark, ever since the Blue Lamp closed in 2019 after a 20-year run as one of Midtown’s live music mainstays.
The building’s stubborn vacancy traces back to its unusual bones. Constructed in 1953 as a title company during the Cold War era, the structure includes a 400-square-foot reinforced concrete walk-in vault that, per the same property records, cannot be torn down without risking damage to the building itself. That vault reportedly later served as a dressing room for performers during the venue’s music-club years, and its presence is said to have repelled prospective retail and restaurant buyers for half a decade.
From Strip Club Sign Mishap to Live Music Staple
The address has a colorful past well before it became a concert venue. Before the Blue Lamp opened in 2000, the building housed Club 400, Midtown Sacramento’s leading strip club, which reportedly got its name after ordering a discounted sign that was misprinted — it was supposed to read “1400 Club,” according to Submerge Magazine. The Blue Lamp itself was purchased by Gabi and Ben Garcia on Halloween in 2013 and continued hosting shows for another six years before shutting down…