Bar Scene Obsolete?

[sunairco]

I was reading an article in one of the entrepreneur websites that was written in '07. It listed 10 things not to invest in or would most certainly become obsolete shortly. The list was pretty accurate by 8 years later, but two items on the list sort of puzzled me. Crop Dusters Gay Bars I don't get the crop dusters, but they made a case for gay and lesbian bars becoming obsolete with growing societal acceptance and not to hedge a bet on future investments. I'm not in a position to tell if it's so, but I do have a large gay bar within a half mile of where we live. I've noticed that it's no longer open daily and just a few times a week towards the weekend. I don't know if this is a sign of withering patronage and mobile apps for hook-ups or just something that affects them. We also had a two story building that since I was a kid in the late 60's was a gay bar on the bottom and a lesbian bar up top. In one incarnation or another, the gay bar I know for sure was still open as of 2001. I had a friend that lived right behind the place. A few years ago, I noticed it had become a dental office after 40+ years of existance that I'm aware of. There was also a bathouse about a block away that closed down, but I think that was during the AIDS epidemic and never reopened. So anyone know if the bar scene is waning and moving to mainstream clubs due to the net/technology and becoming normative at mixed gendered clubs?

[AshlynCreamher]

they made a case for gay and lesbian bars becoming obsolete with growing societal acceptance

Back in seattle, every saturday night, my friends and I would all meet up at The Pony bar around 8pm and would start our bar hopping to:
Madison Pub,
Diesil,
C.C.'s,
The Lounge,
Dicks Drive-in,
Cuff,
The Comet,
Purr,
and would end the night at neighbours.

(In that order)

Seattle has a great night life on Capitol Hill, the sidewalks are packed with drunk people and pretty much every gay-bar/club is packed with not only gay people but also a lot of straight people. While most of the straight bars are less crowded - most likely because gay bars are more popular than straight bars So I think the straight bars are becomeing obsolete

[francisfkudrow]

I think bars in general, while they will always exist, are becoming obsolete as a means to meet people. Many people, and most men, have no way to approach someone at a bar without seeming creepy. Bars will continue to exist as a place where you go with friends, only talk to those friends, and go home--like a restaurant.

[Odelay]

Interesting thread.

Ashlyn is correct about Capitol Hill neighborhood in Seattle. Gay or straight, it's the place to party. Most of the larger cities I'm familiar with have a go-to neighborhood of this sort, and most of them are pretty integrated, orientation-wise, these days. So specifically catering to a gay clientele isn't all that smart these days since you're cutting yourself off from a bigger customer base.

I also agree with Francis that the bar scene will probably always be around as a place to hang with others, but you can also meet people as well in the sense of just meeting people - not with any purpose to hook up necessarily. There's no longer that feel of desperation in bars that there was 20 or 30 years ago, as people primarily use the internet for hook ups. Bars have had to change as a result. You have to have good food or rotating taps or live music or something extra to draw people in.

[JenniferParisHusband]

While most of the straight bars are less crowded - most likely because gay bars are more popular than straight bars So I think the straight bars are becomeing obsolete

Because gay bars always hire the best DJ's. DJ Black Cherry at Club Masque in Dayton is always worth the drive up from Cincinnati.