"Thank you all for this beautiful gift that we all shared for 52 years," he added. "Not sure down the road where it will lead." "I fought hard to keep it but just had to give up!" wrote Fagan, who had taken over the reins of Oil Can Harry's after the 2013 death of his partner, Bob Tomasino. strictly due to COVID-19 and will reopen when allowed," the post read.
Previously, a November Facebook post on the bar's page had announced plans of a sale but remained hopeful for a reopening. Overstreet also owned the buildings housing West Hollywood's Gold Coast Bar, Rage Nightclub, and Flaming Saddles, which all shuttered last year due to failed rent negotiations. In a Monday Facebook post, Fagan revealed that the landlord of the building, Monty Overstreet, had made the sale. The gay country-western bar, which has provided line-dancing and a watering hole for the LGBTQ+ community in Los Angeles's Studio City neighborhood for 52 years, was sold in December to a new owner who plans to convert it into a venue with jazz music, according to owner John Fagan. Quoting Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz, it declared that perhaps a reasoning for its unjust closure would be found "Some where over the Rainbow." Due to pandemic restrictions, the 1851 Club had been forced to operate at 50 percent capacity and required masks of patrons. The establishment posted that it was not eligible for the aid offered to small business during the recession. There comes a time when we just have to face the truth and close the door."
"We have exhausted any and every route to try to save our home. Secrets were kept, loves were lost, true LIVES were found. "A place where we can all feel accepted, be ourselves and feel safe. "For so many years the 1851 club has been our home away from home," the post read. The bar was known for its drag shows, Pride parties, and a days-long annual New Year's celebration. The 1851 Club, which for decades operated as a Cheers-style watering hole for the local LGBTQ+ community, announced the sad news to its patrons in a January 2021 Facebook post.
Its truly saddening to see a location with so much potential come and go as soon as it did, and I only hope that Tony comes back not only with full force, but stronger enough to stand his ground trusting ONLY those who wholeheartedly mean him well.The only gay bar in Arlington, Tex., has shuttered due to the pandemic. The fear of failure in general can cause someone to make a lot of bad decisions hurting the longevity of an establishment rather than aiding. Allowing PEOPLE to tell you what they claim they can offer when there is no validity to back it up. Also, letting the “wrong people” into your circle is another factor. Keep in mind that dancers do have a clientele of their own, and 90% of the time, they prefer to “stick to what they know.” Sometimes location can hurt rather than help and unfortunately the patrons both old and/or young will once AGAIN stick to the settings that they are familiar with. It makes it quite difficult to provide entertainment when the entertainment is financially caught between a rock and hard place. So much money went into the establishment (and it showed) but when you are dealing with bars under the impression that their dancers are being “poached”, they will fight tooth and nail in order to keep them- even if that means threatening to blackball them from other establishments, etc. The truth of the matter is this: Magnum had such potential in being the best gogo entertainment spots in Dallas just from its presentation alone.