It wasn't a gay bar back in the late 80's to early 90's. That wouldn't be some gay bar alleged to be near 52nd and Michigan? There's got to be a lot of old bars with roofs and ceilings missing in Detroit. Let's see.the Gold Door, the Booby Trap, the Patio, the Dirty Duck, Starvin' Marvin's, Subi's, Jon-Jon's, Bev's Backstreet, the Pretty Woman.Not that I've ever been to any of these establishments, you understand.Įdjo's, Virgo's Basin Street, Saxy's Sax Club, or so I am told. I remember Bensons, it used to be down on Davidson east of Mound. I drove down Van Dyke a few weeks ago and it was still in business!!! I remember Benson's Lounge somewhere off Mound.Īnd the Duchess on Van Dyke.
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Stay tuned to their Facebook page for updates.Since Dialh4hipster started the "Dirty Movie" thread, how about the topless bars? You get to maybe laugh with each other and that’s a connection you can’t get over the internet at all.”īackstreet at Large Multiplex opens mid-May. They are on Grindr and everything else, but they said they would love to go to a bar, sit down and talk to a guy because talking on the internet and talking in person is a whole lot different,” he said. “I’ve talked to a lot of 25- to 35-year-old, even maybe 40-year-old, guys. However, Keller said that despite the overall decline in attendance, he’s observed that the younger LGBTQ community in Metro Detroit has expressed interest in making use of spaces like Backstreet. “They don’t understand, as older guys, when we went to a gay bar … that’s how you met people or if you wanted to date somebody or if you wanted to hook up or meet a friend … that’s what you had to do. “I think the younger generation … they have Grindr and stuff and that’s all they know,” Keller said. Since then, the establishment has had multiple owners, but Keller says that the rise of gay dating websites and, today, phone apps has led to a downturn in club and bar attendance. During the 1980s, Backstreet brought in disco artists, such as Sylvester, Lime, Patrick Cowley, Paul Parker, Miquel Brown and many more.Īfter more than a decade of owning and operating Backstreet, Rippberger passed away in the mid-’90s due to AIDS. Influenced by the nightlife of New York City at the time, Rippberger sought to bring the popularity of disco to Backstreet. The bar/club was a quick success among Detroit’s gay community and was even open seven nights a week at one point.Īfter buying Yoder out of the business, Rippberger continued as the sole owner of Backstreet. Keller attributes this to the fact that being openly gay/queer wasn’t widely accepted to the degree that it is today. “I want to keep a part of the gay bars where you walked in the door and no matter how your day was or what front you had to put up in front of somebody … I want them to be able to walk in the door and be whoever they wanna be and be how they wanna be,” he said.Īfter buying Escape Bar in 1979, original owners Carl Rippberger and Joel Yoder spent about $100,000 renovating the space that would become Backstreet, named so because, originally, the club was only accessible from the back of the building. More than anything, though, Keller just wants people to feel at home at Backstreet. Keller has big plans for the space, including a restaurant, a second bar rail, a dance floor, a stage for performances, drag queen brunches, LGBTQ fundraisers and more. Renovations are scheduled to be done by the end of April and it will officially open the second week of May under a new name: Backstreet at Large Multiplex. Keller and his business partner, Stephan Richardson, agreed to buy Backstreet and officially acquired it earlier this year.Ĭurrently under renovation, Keller and Richardson found a new space on Livernois Avenue for Backstreet’s revival. Moses knew the club held sentimental value to Keller and asked if he would like to buy it. Keller, who says he “grew up as gay” at Backstreet, acquired the establishment when he was approached by former owner Dr.
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“It was our way of trying to give back to the community and say, ‘Hey, we want you to have a fun time, enjoy yourself.’” “We actually had a little surprise and we gave the liquor away,” managing owner Doug Keller says of the soft opening. On Saturday, March 23, LGBTQ bar and nightclub Backstreet, a staple in the Metro Detroit queer community with a history that dates back to 1979, held a soft opening despite still being under construction.