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If it wasn't easy, at least it was right because they stayed true to the plan, despite the pushback they received when they announced they wanted to set up an LGBTQ+ bar in Harlem, or the doubts they faced about a vodka that was just for the LGBTQ community. Today, the bar looks welcoming and stylish, with a very cool vibe-almost as if it was easy to set up. "And it was literally the last straw." They got a special permit from the city and were able to have their patrons out front, safely. "The moment we opened the doors the line was around the corner," says Solomon.
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"They rolled out the red carpet," says Solomon, describing their meeting with the bank's LGBTQ Task Force, and the relationship continues to this day, with Hughes and Solomon featured in the bank's diversity may have been a bumpy ride during the height of Covid, but the community has come out in support of the bar, regardless. They have high praise for TD Bank who met with Hughes and Solomon and offered them a small business loan. And they'd like to keep it that way so that they retain control. "We didn't want to ask people for assistance but we finally did it and once we did it for maybe a week, the City opened and we were able to open and generate some funds," says Hughes.īut they have done it all without investors so far. "We cried," says Hughes, now laughing a little painfully at the memory. While they have support now, getting the bar established wasn't easy - and when Covid happened and they had to close because the City of New York closed, they were down to their last few dollars when they launched a GoFundMe to try to bail themselves out. We get every walk of life who comes in here to have a good time," says Hughes. "I remember once some straight men came in to play the video games and I remember they bought bottles and invited their girlfriends over. The bar had previously been 95% gay male but they've seen an increase in lesbians, trans folks, and even some straight women. All the art on the wall is from LGBTQ+ artists who gave it to us and designed the bottles as well."Īnd the venue has now grown to provide a stylish community space the welcomes different demographics of the community such as the ballroom scene, the drag scene, bears, lesbians, and more. "We put a lot of time, effort and money into this space. Blvd, they put special thought into the space and its appearance. When they settled on the premises on Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Because Lambda Vodka had helped to give them a foothold in Harlem where they had already built a following. And when they couldn't get a lot of traction with their vodka in an oversaturated market, someone suggested to them, "Why don't you open a bar and sell your vodka to yourself?" But when Hughes and Solomon started out with the brand they found it to be a mammoth task, from dealing with distilleries to distributors. But both agreed that a nightclub held a certain attraction for gay men as a "home away from home." They especially wanted a relaxed space where queer people of color could come and be themselves.īut how that came about was came their vodka brand, Lambda Vodka, a premium spirit that is served in their establishment and used in its signature cocktails. When Hughes and Solomon got together, neither had experience in the nightclub business as anything other than as patrons. When people come in here you pretty much know everybody's names from security to the host to the bartender. "Lambda to me means family," says Hughes.
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"It was kind of like a secret fraternity during that time, which was really dope to me," says Solomon. Hughes and Solomon wanted to reach back further and they discovered the history of the Lambda symbol during the immediate post-Stonewall era to signify gay liberation. But for me it was, OK I'm out."Īnd so the Greek Lambda symbol is important to them because they felt that "Rainbow" was a little on the nose. Unfortunately not a lot of people get to experience that. "I had the kind of mom who was like, 'OK, he's wearing my heels.' When I finally went to her with it she said, 'Listen, I've just been waiting for you to say something.' My father is a Jehovah's Witness so it was a little rocky with our relationship, there came the whole 'abomination' thing, and by the time he came around it was really too late, so I don't really have a relationship with my father, it's just me and my mother. Solomon, a New Yorker, had it a little easier with his family. Solomon was the first man he brought home to meet them. Hughes grew up in the South and struggled to hide his sexuality from his family. Even today, when Hughes and Solomon go out to other establishments it is clear the venue is tolerating them for the night - and that's spaces are important for both Hughes and Solomon. But this leaves even less opportunities for Black queer folks to party in public.