But that night, Cooley said he would be patient. The empty room on bingo night didn’t augur well. Whether a tiny gay bar in Laguna Beach can still thrive. Now Cooley has to see whether these improvements will pay off – whether gays still want a place to call their own.
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Brought back dancing, karaoke and drag queen bingo nights.Īll that hustling to breathe life into Main Street may have been the easy part. Pulled up the carpet coated in decades of spilled drinks. He removed the privacy blinds on the windows. Skyrocketing real estate prices have kept young gays out of the city and led a number of established gay residents to cash out and move to other cities, such as Palm Springs.Īgainst such odds, Cooley has made it his mission to revive this tiny dive bar off Coast Highway. Laguna Beach, in particular, has had many obituaries written for its once-thriving gay scene. Gay bars around the nation have been disappearing, a trend attributed to greater social acceptance of gays, changing economic forces and evolving technology. “Where is everybody?” he asked, collapsing on a stool next to Endora.
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In walked Craig Cooley, the bar manager for more than a year. Endora sat at the bar and ordered a cocktail. But half an hour past the scheduled start time, patrons had yet to arrive. The game’s caller – a redhead drag queen named Endora – fussed softly over the prizes, like an ikebana master arranging her flowers. Techno music chugged strobe lights blinked. It was bingo night at Main Street Bar & Cabaret, Laguna Beach’s last gay club.