ChiQ Bar

Chiq Bar live performance



ChiQ Bar

 

Location: 4900 66 Street, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA

Opened: April 2006

Closed: January 2009

Going by the written descriptions, ChiQ Bar comes across (at least at first) as a pretty fancy place, a clear cut above your average beer-and-karaoke dyke dive.

But when I started looking at the photos, she started looking like a dyke dive to me--albeit a dyke dive with a lot of square footage. And with a few extra bells and whistles here and there to be sure. But it's still all good. Dyke dives are definitely okay with me. Even the kind with a couple of upgrades.

This was the scoop on ChiQ Bar from Lesbian Nightlife:

Come check out Tampa Bay's Premier and Florida's largest Lesbian Nightclub! 7,000 Sq. ft. of hot ladies! Open 6 days a week.. 4pm till 2am.. Happy Hour 2-for-1 EVERYTHING 4-7pm!

Go Go Dancers, Game room, Patio w/Fire pit, Shot Girls, Leather couches, V.



Chiq Bar signage

And from Metromix Tampa Bay:

Tampa Bay's Premiere Lesbian Nite Club. Very popular lesbian nite club featuring multi-level dance floor, DJ's, live bands, drag shows, go-go dancers, pool table, dart boards, beer pong, 2 patios. Open 6 days a week @ 6pm. Great drink specials. No cover during week.

Let's not leave out ClubFly:

Type: Lesbian Club

In a nutshell: Tampa Bay's newest hottest pumping music lesbian dance club with beautiful dancers, ladies galore & even a few kings. Game room, patio bar, V.I.P. room, plasma tv's, new sound & lights. Happy hour 4pm till 7pm...

Interestingly enough for a space this large, mygayweb tells us that ChiQ Bar was "Lesbian Only":

Come check out Tampa Bays Premier Lesbian Night Club. 2 Level dance floor, Go Go Dancers, shot girls. Hot bartenders, game room, V.I.P. room, patio bar, band room with full stage. State of the art sound and lighting. Membership cards. Happy Hour 2-for-1 EVERYTHING! THIS PLACE IS NOT TO BE MISSED!

ChiQ Bar dance floor

The best written description comes from St Petersburg Nightlife. That's where we find out that ChiQ Bar actually had a lot of cultural and entertainment offerings:

Dance Club/ Gay Bar: Without a doubt one of St. Pete's hottest lesbian nightclubs, ChiQ is a dream destination for anyone in the alternative lifestyle. At a stunning, elegantly decorated 7,000 square feet, ChiQ offers a little bit of something for everyone. The main room boasts a huge dance floor with staggeringly sexy go go dancers performing three nights out of the week, and the second full room is decked out with cushy couches and a full stage for live music performances. Outside, a fire pit sizzles all night long and offers a great place for chatting with friends over dynamite cocktails. Once you've been to this idyllic St. Petersburg lesbian club, you'll have a hard time leaving. ChiQ is home to some of the best live women's acts around, as well as burlesque shows, stand-up comedy performances, spoken poetry nights and fundraisers.

So when did she open? Let the digging begin! We know she was open as of June 2007, as there is a reference to a drag show being held at ChiQ Bar as part of the St. Pete Pride Festival. In fact, she was open at least as early as March 2007, as singer/songwriter Lexi Pierson appeared there on the 7th. And then there was that "lesbian speed dating" event held at ChiQ Bar on February 11, 2007. So it's clear that ChiQ was open by the beginning of 2007 at the latest.

Whoops. Hold the presses. We now have a date as early as September 2006, as that's when blues guitarist Chic Lisitano appeared.

Ha! Finally found it! An announcement dated April 9, 2006 that ChiQ bar would be "opening soon." So we'll say April 2006 was the opening date.

According to McFilmfest, ChiQ Bar closed in January 2009. She was replaced by Club Nautilus, a gay (male) dance club. But even that is gone now.



4900 66 Street today

Photo: 4900 66 Street