SBK1 and SBK2
We began to operate our private karaoke party rooms in 1994. Our first store was in International District. It didn't take us much time to find out how much people love to sing even though they may not be aware of it.
Once our customers somehow found SBK, many of them have always come back to SBK. We're not just talking about good singers but those of us who can't sing. Most of us can't sing—you know, we know and everyone knows—but we love to sing. That's why the music industry is huge.
We opened our second store at 1818 Minor Ave, Seattle, WA 98101 in late 1996. The original store was called SBK1, and the second store was called SBK2 affectionately by our customers.
Most of us like to sing alone in shower or in a car, but not in front of many people whom you have no idea about. Why? Because singing is fun, especially when we are singing along a song with a great sound system. Isn't it the reason why we spend a considerable sum of money on a car stereo system?
That was the idea we had when we started SBK. We had a great sound system and a great collection of songs in each of our karaoke rooms. Our customers, thankfully, bother to visit us to have a good time singing like a star with loud and clear background music.
Karaoke System Delivery
In 2001, we thought, why don't we also bring SBK to our customers? If they like it at our place, they must like it at their place. We imported BMB® VI-A 450 auto-changing karaoke CD players from Japan and put together a professional sounding portable karaoke system.
And we were right. Karaoke system delivery was an instant hit.
Soon we replaced the CD-based system with new hard disk drive based system. Our customers have found the new system easier to use and love it even more than our venerable CD-based system.
End of SBK1
The bust of the dot com bubble hit the youngest of the labor force the hardest. Many SBK fans until the beginning of the 21st century were among this group. Not long after the turn of the century, we closed SBK1.
Some old customers continued to call our second store SBK2 even though we had had only one store for a long time.
There was a problem regarding the location of SBK1. About one year after we closed SBK1, a new karaoke place opened at the same location as SBK1 had occupied. Many people continued to think the new store was SBK1 or a part of our business.
To make things worse, some internet directories continued to list SBK1 as if we had continued to operate SBK1 at the old location almost until 2011 despite our efforts to correct their listings.
The Closure of SBK’s Downtown Seattle Location
Seattle’s Best Karaoke’s private karaoke rooms, located at 1818 Minor Ave, Seattle, WA 98101—formerly known as SBK2—permanently closed at midnight on April 26, 2026, after 30 years of operation due to a decision by the landlord.
The landlord chose to terminate our tenancy and required that we vacate the premises by the end of April 2026. This decision was not due to any fault on our part; we consistently paid rent on time and fully complied with all tenancy terms.
Karaoke System Rental and Delivery Will Continue
Our karaoke system rental and delivery services will continue as usual. We will work to find a variety of locations where SBK customers can comfortably enjoy karaoke using SBK’s karaoke systems.
Our Mission
Our goal is simple—we want everyone to be happy singing karaoke.
At SBK, we have never had an age limit. Karaoke is something that people of all ages can enjoy, and we believe families and younger guests should have more opportunities to experience it. Kids love karaoke, yet there are very few places where they can sing freely.
That’s why we bring the experience to you. With our full karaoke system, you can enjoy karaoke at home or any location of your choice. Whether it’s a family gathering, a birthday party, or a casual get-together, everyone—including children and underage guests—can join in the fun.
We handle the setup, and the system is simple and easy to use, giving you the freedom to enjoy karaoke your way.
Just relax, sing your heart out, and have fun.
Happy singing!