Bars & Clubs Closing

[metta]

It seems like there are quite a few bars and night clubs that are in the process of closing or that have closed within the last two years in Southern California. Most of them seem to have lost their lease so the properties could be redeveloped into something more financially valuable.

Closed:
Oz, The Super Club in Buena park - sold to caltrans
Encounters in Pasadena - lost lease
Hamburger Marys - Newport Beach
Arena in Hollywood - Closing
The Boom Boom Room in Laguna Beach
Club Rumors at the D Club in Azusa - lost lease

Are you seeing the same thing in your area? I'm not one for clubbing. It is not something that really interests me very much. I'm wondering if it may be also just a sign of the times, with so many other interesting things to do.

Is the demand for gay clubs decreasing?

Should the concept of the gay club possibly be updated, maybe by creating something that is more healthy, maybe a gay lounge with healthy foods and drinks, with kind of a private club feeling to it. I think that it might be nice to have a healthy, nice place for the gay community to come together, where people can go to and comfortable talk to each other, instead of try and yell over the music.

 

[winterknight]

The nearest "big town" to me has never managed to keep a gay bar open for more than six months.

 

[Ohiospeedo]

There was an article not too long ago about how a majority of gay clubs/bars will be out of business in the next 10 years. The rationale behind that is because gay people are able to go to regular bars without fear of reprisal.

 

[G-Lexington]

There seem to be two types of "gay clubs" here in town:

* Clubs that don't appear to be inherently "gay". If you happened to walk in when there weren't any people there, you'd have no idea that it was a gay club. These clubs just tend to be standard clubs where homosexuals like to hang out.

* Fringe gay clubs. There's one for bears (80% of the guys wear leather vests with no shirt beneath), for instance, and one for cowboys/leathermen with a slight emphasis on domination/B&D sorts of fetishes.

I only know of one straight-up "gay nightclub", and I didn't like it much. They've had three names in the last two years, which isn't a good sign.

Lex

 

[RationalLunacy]

There was an article not too long ago about how a majority of gay clubs/bars will be out of business in the next 10 years. The rationale behind that is because gay people are able to go to regular bars without fear of reprisal.

What a crock! Tell me, when do they think the Amish will be able to walk into the only gay bar is Amish-land without reprisal?

 

[josher]

A) In big cities gay men are faddish. A club is popular for a while, then people move on, and they often close or change hands and get a new name.

B) Often owners who lease the space to a gay management team, find they can get more money by selling the property or leasing it to someone else.

C) One or more people think it would be exciting and/or profitable to open a bar but have no experience or it doesn't catch on and they go bankrupt.

D) A new area of the city becomes the place to live and recreate, so bars open there and bars in other areas close.

E) Owners get into trouble with the law over drugs, underage drinking or prostitution and lose their liquor license.

There will always be a market for gay bars because: A) You don't have to try to guess who is gay, B) People can act more themselves/be comfortable, if they know they're surrounded by other gay people and C) Closeted guys don't have to worry about someone they know seeing them there.

 

[RationalLunacy]

There will always be a market for gay bars because: A) You don't have to try to guess who is gay, B) People can act more themselves/be comfortable, if they know they're surrounded by other gay people and C) Closeted guys don't have to worry about someone they know seeing them there.

You forgot:

D) Straight men need a place to bring their girlfriends without being seen by their wives.

 

[jackoroe]

They are a disappearing lot. I think it has to do with the availability of sex over the internet.

 

[theFallenGod]

it's because of the internet.....

Why go out an put yourself on the market when you can just jump online and find someone at any given moment....

Plus online you can lie about yourself...
Real : 65yo 4'8 420 2"c Online: 27yo 6'2 195 8.5"c

 

[unclaimedblessing]

Two other reasons are:
Most states have tightened their DUI laws and now you can barely have two drinks without reaching an illegal BAC.
The "no smoking ban", smokers resent paying top dollar and having to stand outside to have a cigarette.
While the intent of these laws was good, the results have been a decline in bar attendance (straight bars as well).

 

[LarsVenice]

I noticed that there were a lot more gay bars in Mexico City the last time I was there than there were 20 years ago. When I first went there, there was only one respectable gay bar to go to, and it was very expensive to get in. There were supposedly some other cheaper places to go, but they were considered dangerous or sketchy. Now there are quite a few choices, although I generally go to private parties instead.

My neighborhood Venice bar, Roosterfish, seems to be doing fine, but it doesn't have any competition in this neighborhood, and people who live here are somewhat reluctant to go to bars in WeHo, especially since it is a 20 minute drive. I haven't kept up with what's going on in Hollywood with respect to bars, but I have noticed that some bars seem to have gay nights - so on the other nights they are mixed or who knows what? It's hard to tell the straight boys from the gay boys in Hollywood, and it appears that the straight boys are mostly bi - at least from what my female friends tell me.

 

[chatolandia]

You also have to realize that areas that were 'gay neighborhoods' are becoming 'trendy neighborhoods'.

So the real estate becomes more expensive, and they have to move.

You just have to wait and see where the new gay neighborhood pops up!

 

[swerve]

Oh, i don't goto gay clubs, but one club that i am familiar with in my area is closing - The Masquerade. I like it because it caters to EVERYONE - gay, straight, bi, goth, rocker, hip-hopper... and yet, it's going to be gone in a year or less.

Which is a fucking shame.

I can't believe they're closing that place down...

MANY years ago -- I used to frequent it quite frequently...

The 2 bars in Atlanta that I actually miss going to (mainly due to their sleazy atmosphere) are the Metro and the Phoenix...

Metro got closed to build a high rise...

I thing the Phoenix got closed due to possible illegal stuff (I'm not sure)...

I guess these days guys rely on "Craigslist" more than good old fashioned drinkin' establishments...

 

[gmoney]

I can't believe they're closing that place down...

MANY years ago -- I used to frequent it quite frequently...

The 2 bars in Atlanta that I actually miss going to (mainly due to their sleazy atmosphere) are the Metro and the Phoenix...

Metro got closed to build a high rise...

I thing the Phoenix got closed due to possible illegal stuff (I'm not sure)...

I guess these days guys rely on "Craigslist" more than good old fashioned drinkin' establishments...

I'm sure you remember Backstreets! That place was always packed. I guess the location was more desireable for something else.

I think trends come and go. Places become 'stale' and then lose what following they had.

I don't see gay bars ever disappearing completely. The "in your face" kind of place might be dwindling, just because gays have so many more choices today and don't need a spotlight to let them know where other gays congregate.

 

[LarsVenice]

I forgot to mention - the Boom Boom Room closed because the rent got too high. It did have a stunning location - on a cliff overlooking the ocean - and Laguna Beach just got a bit too crowded. I liked that bar, but I'm not an O.C. person. I had an O.C. boyfriend for a short time (he was in Mission Viejo), but I broke up with him because he was geographically undesirable. I couldn't handle being separated so far from him, and neither of us could move because of our careers. I think it would have been easier for him to move, however, since he was an engineer and could have found work in L.A., but as a furniture designer, I could not have found equivalent work in O.C. that I have here.