Roxy's

Roxy's after closing

Roxy's

Location: 884 Main Street, Buffalo, New York, USA

Opened: 1999

Closed: June 23, 2013

Here's the description from clubfly:

In a nutshell: Buffalos hottest lesbian bar. Karaoke every Wednesday, burlesque shows every Thursday night...

So are we about lesbians or striptease? Oh wait, I think
I found the answer.

And from GayCities:

Roxy's interior view --above the bar

Casual lesbian bar
Roxy's is the kind of bar where you can sometimes find the hot bartenders dancing on the bar, surrounded by a crowd of Buffalo ladies (and a few guys). Don't miss the weekly burlesque show on Thursdays!

Hmm. Given the mention of the "burlesque" part, I'm suspecting this place was not especially oriented towards or committed to women in general or lesbians in particular.

So I am not particularly surprised when we later find out that this "lesbian bar" eventually became "very mixed" (i.e. basically dominated/taken over by gay and straight men and their female enablers). From buffalogaybars:

Roxy's  is a Lesbian, gay, very Mixed bar featuring DJ's and live music in a mirrored, surreal setting. On any busy night at Roxy's you might find the lady bartenders dancing on the bar. Karaoke and dance parties keep the crowds coming while drink specials on the weekends create a crowded but always kicking atmosphere.

Another Roxy's interior view--at least they had a
pool table, not just strippers

In addition, I am not surprised that this positive customer review comes from...a man. This is from GayCities:

"Great lesbian bar in #buffalo - I love my lesbian friends."

Well, I'm SOO glad. But I guess you didn't love them enough to leave them a space of their own without all the freaking dudes.

And here's a (self-identified) "straight guy" who liked the place. Surprise! From yelp:

Saw the Burlesque show here last night. Seen it once or twice before in the past too. Roxy's is definitely worth going to and checking that out if you have never before. Besides for the Burlesque its a Lesbian bar, and for being a straight guy there, I've never felt uncomfortable. Its pretty laid back from what I see.

Of course, some women liked Roxy's as well. But quite a few did not. This woman customer also posted at yelp:

Another view above the bar. Notice the reference to
"Roxy's Girls"

Unfortunately this is currently the only lesbian bar in Buffalo.  My personal rule: don't go here unless you're already drunk.  Otherwise you won't be able to deal with it.  It's great for those nights when you're on a mission to just do shots and dance the night away.  But stay clear any other night.

The bathrooms are atrocious, the drinks are watered down and the beer selection leaves much to be desired.

Last but not least: expect to pay a $3-5 cover to experience the above-mentioned "charms."

Can we just get a classy lesbian bar? Maybe a pub or a wine bar? That's all I ask.

But it gets worse when we find out how crooked his place really was. From exploiting women's bodies, to sucking up to men, to... stealing customer credit cards. From the Erie County District Attorney's Office:

Owner of Buffalo Bar "Roxy's" Pleads Guilty to Charges of Grand Larceny and Petit Larceny 12/20/2012       

 

Erie County District Attorney Frank A. Sedita, III announced that 41 year old Julia Greenwood of 543 Plymouth, Buffalo, pleaded guilty to Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree and Petit Larceny before County Court Judge Kenneth F. Case. 

Greenwood admitted that on August 7, 2012, she stole $4,480 from Key Bank by writing phantom checks from an account at Citizens Bank and then depositing them into her Key Bank account and drawing off of them.  Greenwood further admitted that, as owner of a Buffalo bar known as “Roxy’s”, she used a credit card of a patron left at the bar to make personal purchases during the period August 26, 2012 through August 30, 2012.  The ultimate loss of $818 was sustained by M&T Bank which had issued this credit card. 

Sentencing is scheduled for March 26, 2013, at 2:00 p.m. before the Hon. Kenneth F. Case when Greenwood faces a maximum prison sentence of 4 years.

She eventually got off with five years of probation.

Julia Greenwood

Julia Greenwood then has the nerve to grant this totally self-justifying interview. The title? ‘Don’t be sad, guys… We did it!” She totally explains away what happened as a "mistake" and that she didn't "intentionally steal" from anyone. In her mind, she has even become the persecuted one! Are you kidding me? Read it if you will, but I can't even post a snippet. I don't deal well with folks who have sociopathic tendencies.

Needless to say, customers weren't so good-natured and forgiving about the whole thing as this Shut Down Roxy's site demonstrates.

Then we find EVEN WORSE things like this new item about a lesbian who was stabbed outside of Roxy's in January 2010:

Buffalo Police are investigating an early-morning stabbing outside a club in the Allentown area. A woman was taken to the hospital after she was slashed in the right eye. Police responded to the incident on Main and Allen Streets, outside Club Roxy's just after 2 a.m. Friday. No word on the victim's condition or if an arrest has been made.

So this place wasn't even PHYSICALLY safe for lesbians. Are we surprised?

If this is what a "lesbian bar" has become (or at least perceived as being), then no wonder they're becoming extinct. Who needs this?

So I can't say I was sorry when I saw that this thoroughly coopted and corrupted "womyn's space" finally came to a merciful end. From the Buffalo News, May 2014:

The downtown building that was formerly home to Roxy’s, a well-known gay and lesbian bar, has been acquired by a Lewiston money manager and real estate investor, who wants to shift the property’s focus toward the nearby Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.