Harold Goldston and Kevin LaRoche didn’t choose the karaoke industry — it chose them.
UT alumni Goldston and LaRoche own Knox Box Karaoke in downtown Knoxville, and they’ve expanded their singing success to a new project: The Pink Cactus.
The Pink Cactus took over a building on Sevier Avenue that was previously a Cambodian restaurant called The Landing House. Teaming up with Jenny Salata, owner of French Fried Vintage, The Pink Cactus in South Knoxville brings a new type of karaoke experience to customers.
“This is a bit of a common misconception,” Goldston said. “Everybody calls us a karaoke bar. We are, but there is no karaoke downstairs. We might eventually do that, but we haven’t yet. So downstairs is like a lounge hangout. We have the main bar area. We have a dance floor, and then the private karaoke rooms upstairs.”
Beyond off-key singing and voice cracks, one of the owners’ guiding philosophies is “gather with friends and celebrate the good life.” This philosophy rings true with the community events that The Pink Cactus hosts, like Latin dance nights, comedy shows, drag shows, live band nights and family days.
“We are very focused on being a positive space. We’re bringing people together, especially with the karaoke rooms. It’s just such a good place to go out in a group. This is kind of a nightlife place, but we want it to be family-friendly on the weekends as well,” Goldston said.
The Pink Cactus lives up to its name inside the walls of a bright pink house. It’s alternative slogan, “no pricks allowed,” and funky decorations contribute to the fun vibe, with lights and furniture to match.
“Knox Box is in the basement (of 522 S. Gay St.) — it’s kind of a dive bar. We’ve embraced that term, whatever. But this place is aesthetically beautiful. We spent a lot of time, effort and money decorating this place and painting this place and making sure it looked really nice. And we have the best front yard of any business in South Knoxville,” Goldston said.
The outdoor and front yard area features five gazebos, an assortment of lawn chairs and a general space to chill if you don’t like karaoke. The Pink Cactus also has a full kitchen, drawing inspiration from Latin America to curate a unique specialty cocktail and food menu.
The Pink Cactus hosted its grand opening in late September of 2025. Although it’s fairly new, it’s already seen a lot of success and popularity due to the inclusion of private karaoke rooms.
“You can bring a group of friends, and you have your own little experience instead of singing in front of the bar, which is essentially every karaoke experience in Knoxville. As far as I know, we’re the only place in East Tennessee that has that,” Goldston said.
As The Pink Cactus continues to grow, Goldston hopes to extend its demographic to UT students. With lots of ideas for events and future partnerships with Greek organizations, The Pink Cactus is excited to expand.
“We’re trying to push a UT Thursday night where everything is 20% off for students. We’re calling it ‘University of Thirsty Thursdays,’” Goldston said.
