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“I think we joked around and we figured out we had to sell 3,000 tacos and a beer just to be able to make the rent.” Although the building’s landlords were patient and open to negotiation, Cohen was unable to make the $11,000 monthly rent that they ultimately demanded. “When your concept is a nightclub and you can no longer be that - people weren’t sitting at home going, ‘I’m going to drive into center city and have tacos at Toasted Walnut,’” Cohen said. Even when the bar was able to run at 25% capacity, she was struggling. The bar essentially closed in November, 2020 when indoor dining was temporarily suspended. “The loss of anchor institutions will definitely affect the gayborhood in deeper and more profound ways than other businesses,” he said.īryan Womack, a Govans resident who performs as drag personality Naomi Ratchet, said the sale of Grand Central has soured him to Mount Vernon and Baltimore as a whole.Philadelphia, PA – Denise Cohen has been running lesbian bars in Philly for upwards of 30 years, so losing Toasted Walnut to the pandemic was a particularly harsh blow. The closing of gay bars and clubs that have historic meaning and are significant attractions are particularly troubling to Ghaziani. The fact that cities are now creating these official positions, tell us that cities recognize that nightlife is actually a very significant part of the overall economic profile of the city,” Ghaziani said. New York just appointed the city’s first Night Czar. “People are tuning into it - at least large cities that have the resources to create positions like that. That prompted the naming of a London Night Czar in 2017. In London, for example, 58 percent of LGBTQ clubs closed from 2006 to 2016, compared to 44 percent of straight clubs in the same period. Globally, gay nightlife has seen a decline in recent years, according to Amin Ghaziani, author of “There Goes the Gayborhood?” and associate professor of sociology at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver.
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“Destination cities like New York and San Francisco will always have them,” he said. Leloudis said that the recent closure in Mount Vernon doesn’t bode well for the future of gay bars. “No one wants to see another gay bar shut down.” “Clearly they are depressed about it,” said Joseph Leloudis, a 42-year-old bartender there.
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I’m the son of two dads who grew up seeing them go to the Hippo.”Īt Leon’s, a dimly lit rectangle of a bar in Mount Vernon known for its “heavy pours,” two-for-one daily happy hour and a motley crew of gay male clientele, the mood has been somber, though business has remained steady. I never thought I would see that,” Keens said. “The beginning of the end was when the Hippo turned into a CVS. “We’re trying to be a refuge for the drag community for sure and an LGBTQ safe space for everyone else as well.”Īnd while Point South has been extremely successful in their drag events - almost all of them sell out - Keens said it’s still sad to see the crumbling of gay establishments in the city. This is the home of Divine and ‘Hairspray,’” Keens said. The drag community can’t be allowed to fizzle out in Baltimore. “Supporting local drag is important to us. 2016, due in large part to the closing of Club Hippo, according to Bryson Keens, managing partner of the Fells Point restaurant that specializes in Latin cuisine. Point South Latin Kitchen has been throwing successful drag brunches and bingo nights since Sept. “If it becomes just a regular bar - something that you can find in Canton or Fells Point? No, I will not support that,” Chavis said.Īs dedicated gay bars have dwindled, other establishments have been filling the void with events like drag shows and gay nights. And he bristles at the thought of Grand Central turning into a straight establishment. Still, Chavis wishes that he could have more gay clubs to frequent. And when they go out, chances are you’ll find them at The Brewer’s Art or Owl Bar.