The Usual Neighborhood Pub

The Usual Neighborhood Pub

Location: 5519 Allen Street, Houston, Texas, USA

Opened: 2008

Closed: 2014

The latest victim in the Great Lesbian Bar Die-Off. From culturemap Houston:

Popular lesbian bar closes, but owners vow to reopen in new location

By Amy Chien

2.24.14 | 9 am

 

 

 

Trying to find a lesbian bar in Houston seems at times like going on the quest for the holy grail. Chances shut down in late 2010 when owner Nick Vastakis decided to move out of bar management and into property development, and recently The Usual Neighborhood Pub has joined the list. Owners of the bar, located near T.C. Jester and the Katy Freeway, announced its fate on its Facebook page:

We are closing The Usual for good at this location but we are on the hunt for our new spot! We planned on remodeling but our landlord refused to pay for all the roofing and electrical needs (as most of you know was much needed) … we unfortunately had to make the decision to move…we will be absent for a short while but will return soon and can't wait to see all of you! We can't thank everyone enough for being apart of this great bar, all of you have made it what it is and that's something to remember!…keep you posted!”

Last week, regulars gathered with current management and past employees to pay tribute to the bar as it closed. Owners could not be reached for comment.

The Houston Press named the bar to its list of Top 10 Gay Bars, Clubs & Icehouses last summer, citing a great selection of microbrews and Internet jukebox, air hockey, a large patio with picnic benches and dog-friendly environs, and describing the atmosphere as "a little like Cheers with better decor and a better beer selection."

For now, it looks like the only dedicated lesbian bar left is the newly renovated Pearl Bar. Other options include Guava Lamp and JR’s Bar and Grill, which draw a gay clientele but are lesbian-friendly, and newcomer Barbarella, an alternative bar that draws a gay-and-lesbian-friendly crowd.

So what else can we add to the obituary? Well, it was once awarded the Best Lesbian Bar award:

Best Lesbian Bar Houston 2012 - The Usual - CLOSED

                  
Since the demise of Lower Westheimer mainstay Chances, the Usual has been Houston's only lesbian bar, so luckily it's a good one. Not exclusively for ladies who love ladies, the Usual sports an inviting front porch with a sweet view of some nearby train tracks, great deals on wine, and frequent raucous karaoke nights. After an evening so close and yet so far from the Usual, in the vast valet-bedeviled douchatoria of the Washington Avenue strip, the Usual's laid-back neighborhood vibe will restore your faith in the human race.

Dancers at The Usual (December 2013)

Here's the piece on The Usual from the Top 10 Gay Bars piece cited above. Notice that there is no mention of this being a lesbian space:


The Usual patrons (December 2013)

Air hockey? Check. Picnic benches? Check. Dog-friendly? Check and double-check. The Usual is a comfortable place for everyone to hang out, no matter what your orientation, a little like Cheers with better decor and a better beer selection. It's casual, gay-friendly, and the Internet jukebox provides endless possibilities. In short, we could live there, especially with the selection of microbrews.

Interesting that My Gay Houston doesn't even mention that this is a lesbian bar either:

After stints operating as a massage parlor, a questionable spa biz and a gambling club, the nondescript, brown building right off of Washington, near TC Jester, was transformed several years ago into a casual, neighborhood bar dubbed The Usual. Set in the Heights, The Usual provides an eclectic, post-college clientele with a casual, no-frills dive to kick back in, listen to music and enjoy a solid beer selection.

Bartender at The Usual (December 2013)

Inside, the interior is small and cozy, with five smaller, sectioned off rooms perfect for lounging and playing a round of darts. There’s also a small stage nearby that plays host to weekly karaoke night performances and a dog-friendly patio space outside with picnic table seating.

While you’re there, try out one of The Usual’s more than 60 types of beer, including hard-to-find varieties and locally-produced craft brews like Southern Star Bombshell Blonde and Saint Arnold’s Elissa IPA.

And then there is this from the Houston Press. The Usual, we are informed, isn't exactly "gay." But it is populated by a fair number of "women who prefer the company of other women":

When you hear that whistle blowin', no need to hang your head and cry, just plug your ears for a second before getting back to drinking on the cheap. The Usual, a neighborhood newcomer next to the railroad track that runs parallel to Washington Avenue, is not a gay bar per se, and it's certainly not a sleazy pick-up spot. It is a welcoming sort of establishment, though, and a good portion of the clientele is comprised of women who prefer the company of other women. The beer-garden tables out front are a great place to drink discounted beer and well drinks during happy hour.

Oh, but this is classic. We haven't come across a naïve-straight-guy-accidentally-stumbles-into-a-lesbian-bar story in a while, and this one is just a perfect example of the genre.

There are some 28 customer reviews at yelp, and they run the gamut. Some are positive, some are not. Some claim the place is friendly to everyone, some say the place is anti-male. Too many to really sample here, but they are always a hoot to scroll through.

Chances Bar

Chances

Chances Bar

Location: 1102 Westheimer Road, Houston, Texas, USA

Opened: August 1994

Closed: November 2010

Here's what an anonymous reviewer from girlsports said about Chances:

Who ever would have thought it possible that one of the biggest lesbian bars in the world would be found in Houston, Texas?  Not me.  Chances says it is the biggest on the planet, but I’d have to compare with Candy Bar in London or Le Drugstore in Montreal to see if that's true.  No matter what, you’ll find tons of girls here.  Chances is actually made up of four separate bars, each catering to a different crowd: the original Chances bar for a drink and some music; Chance’s G-Spot for the dancing; New Barn Saloon for all you country/western fans and the Chi-Chi Martini bar for sophisticated ladies.

Well at any rate, the four-lesbian-bars-in one concept sure beats Portland's old Egyptian Club, which marketed itself as three-lesbian-bars-in-one. (The Egyptian Club is also featured here at Lost Womyn's Space.)

Like many lesbian bars, however, it wasn't all about beer and good times. There was also a commitment to the local community. As another commenter notes:

You walk into Chances, and the first thing you notice are the multicolored streamers--hundreds of them--hanging cheerfully from the ceiling. The colors vary with the season, but they always give the place a feeling of carefree happiness. The bar has been the host of many benefits and fund-raisers (it's raised half a million dollars for AIDS and breast-cancer research) and is an active supporter of the Montrose Women's Clinic.

Other charities that Chances had supported over the years included Assisthers, Human Rights Campaign, and Legacy Community Health Services.

But like a lot of things, the quality changed over time. Starting around 2008, we see a growing number of customer complaints about the "rude staff" and the "punks that work the door or bartend." Or the "lil gangstas crowd" or "trash" or "scammers" that were populating the place.

In July 2010, the Houston Press confirmed that the owners of Chances had put the building up for sale. As part-time owner Anne Vastakis explained, "It's a very hard decision, and it makes me sad to even talk about it. We have been running it for 15-16 years and loved it, but the last four years -- let's just say business has not been getting stronger. With the economy the way it is -- these mega-lesbian bars -- there are four bars there, and in the `90s they were thriving. Now, I don't know, maybe there's too much competition."

And then, it was over. As the Houston Press announced on November 19, 2010, Chances was finally handing in its spurs:

Montrose nightlife staple Chances is shutting down this weekend, according to owner Nick Vastakis.

Vatakis' family has owned the space since it was Charlie's Coffee Shop in the '70s, but his family is moving out of bar management and into property development, he told Rocks Off in a quick phone interview Friday afternoon.

"Chances lasted a lot longer than we though it would. It's been a great time," Vastakis said.

Chances has been a popular hangout for almost 16 years for Montrose's gay and lesbian community, becoming a hub of activity during holidays and especially Gay Pride weekend festivities.

"It's a natural evolution for us all in the family. I was spear-fishing with my 12-year-old son in Greece and he said, 'You know Dad, we never get to just hang out. You are always at the bar working,' and so we decided to change the direction of our business plan," Vastakis said.

​A fire in April of 2006 sidelined Chances, but it soon bounced back with a remodel. As noted by Rocks Off's sister blog Hair Balls, the Vastakis family put the property on the market in July.

As for the new tenants, Vastakis says that they just recently signed a deal with a group that will turn it into a high-end restaurant, with a superstar chef that they are keeping under wraps for now.

"It's going to blow Montrose out," Vastakis said. "It's going to be great."

Vastakis added that there will be a closing bash for Chances this Saturday night before the hotspot closes its doors for good. The marquee will also go out with a bang he said, with the message:

"Thanks for the mammaries"

Godspeed, Chances.

One thing is for certain. Even though it's now gone, Chances still has its loyal fans. It's the only former lesbian bar--at least the only one I have found--that has its own tribute site on the Internet.

Roaring Sixties

The Tumblebugs take on 
City Hall (1967)

Roaring Sixties

Location: 2305 South Sheppard, Houston, Texas, USA

Opened: June 23, 1967

Closed: Still needs to be verified

Jim Sears, the author of Rebels, Rubyfruit, and Rhinestones: Queering Space in the Stonewall South, says the following about the Roaring Sixties and its pivotal role in gay and lesbian history:

Known as the homosexual playground of the South, Houston was already home to a dozen gay bars and clubs when the Roaring Sixties opened on June 23, 1967.

With its checkered tablecloths, crimson drapes, and ruby walls, the Roaring Sixties was a place that a lot of folks called home.... In addition to lesbian regulars like Dee Dee, who’d waltz in with slacks, cuffs turned up, hair slicked back, and tanned Mexican shoes, there was a one-armed guy who’d shoot pool with Rita [Roaring Sixties owner Rita Wanstrom] for $20 a ball. Rita used one of her matched pair of San Toeos; he used the end of a broomstick–and "cleared the table."

But it wasn't all pool and good times.

"A lot of club owners back then said women couldn’t come in if they didn’t turn their pants around" or wear dresses, remembers Rita. Two months after her club’s opening, Houston’s vice squad came to visit.... Separating out the more butch-looking patrons, an Irish sergeant barked out commands. "You get over here. You get over there." Twenty-five lesbians were hauled to jail for wearing clothing of the opposite sex. "The enforcement of the ordinance, of course, was directed only at those people perceived to be gay," underscores Rita. Used for police harassment and extortion, it was also a convenient excuse for some bar owners to restrict lesbians. "Everyone got mad," remembers Rita. "But what could you do?" Rita paid all of the $25 fines and hired an all-girl band, led by "little butch" Sandra to "pump our business back up."

A month later there was another raid. As in Stonewall, something snapped. "I don’t think the other bar owners could see what was happening," swears Rita. However, she "saw the need for someone to speak out on behalf of this community." It was an unjust law that "deprived me of my right to do business."

Wanstrom sought out the help of Percy Foreman, whose legal fee matched his status as the preeminent lawyer of the Southwest. Foreman was willing to represent Rita when another raid befell her club. As Rita headed down to the Roaring Sixties that evening to rally folks, "I happened to see a little tumblebug. Now, a tumblebug will just lay there until somebody turns it over and helps it back on its feet." And so, as the summer of 1967 receded into history, the Tumblebugs were born.

Selling sweatshirts, hosting benefits, and sponsoring drag shows, the dozen or so women who made up the Tumblebugs raised Foreman’s $2,500 fee.... In challenging the city ordinance, Rita hoped to get "people to think for themselves about what was happening to us and what we needed to do to take the heat off."

At that time (1967), there was virtually no lesbian or gay political activism in Houston, so the actions of Rita Wanstrom and the Roaring Sixties' lesbian patrons were unprecedented. But the August-September raids were far from the end of the police harassment. In fact, there was a yet another raid in late December:

Two nights before New Year’s Eve, a sergeant and his men of the vice squad rushed into the Sixties and found women "dressed in men’s pants, men’s shirts, and men’s shoes."

Rita reminisces: "They lined people up and started questioning. One woman who was asked her occupation said: ‘I’m a weenie peeler.’ That just broke everyone up. More cops came in and they made her repeat it. It turned out that she worked in a meat factory and when the weenies came through she would peel one to make sure it was stuffed right. So they put all of the butches in the paddy wagon."

This time, though, things were different. Amidst a bevy of "not guilty" pleas, a shocked magistrate stared down at the Tumblebugs as their celebrated attorney asserted: "This will not be a test of the law.... It will be a test of the vice squad’s concept of the law."

Meanwhile, pugnacious activist Ray Hill worked for change behind the scene.... Ray was summoned to "come through the back door of City Hall and walk up three flights of stairs to the mayor’s office." At the appointed hour, Ray remembers climbing the stairs, entering through the fire exit, and meeting with the mayor’s assistant, Larry McKaskle, in a converted maid’s closet. Ray wrenched from McKaskle a promise that City Hall would indeed "check into" the lesbian bar raids.

On the day of the trial, Rita and her "girls"–wearing dresses and makeup–appeared before Judge Raymond Judice. The cases against the 11 were dismissed due to the failure of the vice officers to appear. The sergeant, however, announced that he "definitely intended" to refile charges and to continue to enforce the ordinance. Inexplicably, however, he was transferred to the Narcotics Division. Rita affirms, "They never bothered us again!"

I have not been able to verify when the Roaring Sixties closed, but Rita Wanstrom lived till the ripe old age of 85 before passing away from breast cancer in November 2009.