Zippers gay bar
Lonzie Hershner, owner of The Tin Room, Marty’s Inhabit and Chesterfields, has announced that as of today (Thursday, March 31), he has purchased Zippers, the Fitzhugh Route mainstay, from Richard Curtin.
“I include always wanted to be on that side of town, so when the opportunity presented itself, I took it,” Hershner said today.
Hershner said he signed the manuscript work this afternoon to officially grab over as owner of Zippers. He purchased the block from Richard “Edna Jean” Curtin, who took over administration and full ownership last year after having been part owner for some time.
Hershner said Thursday he will be making “a few changes” to the bar, including increasing the size of the front bar and switching the colors on the exterior. But Zippers fans don’t need to be alarmed.
“Richard did a great occupation of remodeling the bar when he took over last year. We just want to seize it back to where it used to be. We’re going to become in there and just have some fun,” Hershner said.
“Zippers has been there on Fitzhugh Avenue forever,” Hershner said. “It is an icon in the gay society. We want to keep it that way.”
Hershner had tried to re-open another Fitzhugh-area legend, The Hideaway
According to a a utterance posted to Facebook shortly after noon today (Wednesday, May 20), Zippers, located on Fitzhugh Avenue at Travis Street, is closing permanently because of the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The remark on the bar’s Facebook page reads: “To all our amazing customers, we are beyond sorry to say that our landlord here at Zippers does not want to perform with us on the rent for being forced to close. We are all heart broke over this. Thank you all so much for all the love you include shown us over the years. We will fail you all.”
Zippers is owned by Lonzie Hershner, who also owns two other LGBTQ bars, The Tin Room and Marty’s Live. He purchased Zippers in March 2016 from Richard Curtain.
According to social media posts earlier this week following Gov. Greg Abbott’s announcement that bars could begin reopening, Zippers, Tin Room and Marty’s Live were place to reopen Friday, May 22, the first morning they could legally complete so. Both Tin Room and Marty’s Live still plan to be uncover on Friday, according to their Facebook pages, but a post on the Tin Room page indicates that the bar has been getting “threats” from people over its plans to reopen
When Daily Xtra spoke to club owner Harry Singh in the summer as Zipperz was set for demolition to make room for a new condo development, he said the Toronto LGBT community hadn’t seen the last of him. He kept his promise.
Blyss Nightclub had its grand opening on Oct 28, 2016 under the ownership of Singh, the former owner of Zipperz, which closed its doors in July. The space is at 504 Church St, which most recently housed Church on Church.
“Zipperz had its time,” Singh says. “It worked for the 18 years it was there.”
Although Singh has opened another dance space in the Church-Wellesley Village, he says Blyss will not be a reboot of Zipperz. Memorable treasures like the piano bar will be no more. “Towards the end there was a lot of things that wasn’t working. [Blyss is] going to be something for everybody,” he says.
Singh hopes renovations including the removal of seating areas and the relocation of the DJ booth will create a more start space. “I’m going to bring more of a clubby feeling,” he says.
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Whether you loved it or loathed it, CP was definitely an institution. As the longest running gay bar in Ottawa, when it closed in first 2017, the collective was reeling from the news. Rumours that it was in trouble had been circulating for some time, but its abrupt closure leaves a void in Ottawa's homosexual scene that may never fully be filled again.
The bar, a converted brick Victorian-area place, opens as Overdraft briefly before a name change to Central Park, with Zippers on the upper level. It caters to a primarily older male demographic, and becomes the home of the Ottawa Knights leather community for decades, with monthly Bar Knights organism held on the second Saturday of the month.
The bar eventually is renamed Centretown Pub, although a Primary Park convex soft fixture in the foyer's ceiling remained until its closing. The lower block in the basement is called Silhouette Lounge, a tiny space that at one time is a piano exclude and offers weekly shows by Sherrie Gold and Dan, a musical couple who is still talked about among those who recollect them.
Years later, a karaoke evening was hosted here, then upstairs on Sundays, then finally on the main floor. The main level was mult
This location has been host to a long tradition of LGBT establishments. The first was apparently "Friendly's Bar" (1944-1947). It was operating as 'The Hustler' in the early 1970s, which may also hold been somewhat gay amiable (additional research is needed). Its run as indisputable LGBT establishments really began when it became 'The Decision' in 1976. Next it was Hideaway (1976-c1980), after which its occupancy was uncertain for a few years. But its string of housing LGBT businesses resumed with the relocated Mint Bar II/ Angelo's (1986-1991), followed by BJ's Mint Bar (1991-1993), Zippers (1993-1998), and finally Fluid in 1998-- which is still open in 2021.
More information about this business is welcomed from anyone who can contribute it.
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