Lefty’s strives to raise the standard of venues in the Des Moines music scene through smart booking of high-quality local, regional and national music acts while providing a safe, clean and friendly atmosphere that appeals to fans of all genres. Lefty’s will provide a fresh, accessible venue for local musicians and fans, all while keeping an eye on a healthy bottom line. Lefty's Live Music is an LLC operating in Des Moines, Iowa. The Des Moines market currently lacks a mid-size music venue that can accommodate a 250-350 person audience. It is our goal to fill that void at a new location and provide quality entertainment that will appeal to Des Moines residents from many different walks of life.

The owner’s and manager’s experience in the music and bar industry will offer a competitive advantage that will bring success to the new business. We are people who love music and we are people who love Des Moines, and we wish to contribute to the culture of our community.

With more than a decade of service at local live music venue The House of Bricks, which recently closed its doors, principal owner Anne Mathey has intimate knowledge of all areas of the music venue business. From “behind-the-scenes” issues such as managing bar staff and inventory, booking and promoting bands to the “front-of-house” experience of bartending, serving, cleaning, creating nightly drink features or specials and similar responsibilities, Mathey has a firm grasp on all aspects of the business.

This expertise, as well as a solid network of musicians, music fans, labels, alcohol vendors and others, will help ensure the success of Lefty's from day one.
Lefty’s success hinges on Des Moines’ thirst for more local entertainment options, as well as the owner’s knowledge of the music industry and continuing trends there within. Clever marketing, quality booking and a friendly staff will ensure customer satisfaction. As Lefty's reputation grows as a superior music venue, patronage and profit will as well.

As a start-up business, Lefty's Live Music is faced with a sizeable amount of expense. With securing real estate, building a stage, purchasing a quality sound system, securing inventory, creating a marketing budget, payroll and other operating expenses, we are facing quite an investment. With the extra financing Dream Big Grow Here can provide, Lefty’s will be able to hire an acoustician to ensure the highest sound quality of any venue in Iowa, thereby enhancing the live music experience for all listeners of all genres, and placing Lefty’s at the forefront of the business, not only locally, but nationally.
We put so much importance on the quality of the sound system because it is often so overlooked. During live performances sound quality either enhances the artist’s voice or encumbers it. Iowa is home to massive amounts of quality musicians that deserve a quality venue. And by providing a state-of-the-art listening experience for both the fans and the musicians, we will make Des Moines an essential stop on the tour schedules of bands of all genres.