bar owner (120)

A Person · Milwaukee Al Berry Al Berry, who had previously run the Rooster bar, opened Milwaukee's legendary River Queen in the Cross Keys Hotel in 1971. He sold the business to James O'Connor in 1973. A Person · Madison Al Reichenberger Al Reichenberger (1940–2021) co-founded the Dangle Lounge in Madison, Wisconsin with his brother Thomas in 1966. The venue became one of the state's first and most controversial adult-entertainment ba A Person · Milwaukee Al Thomas Al Thomas, formerly of Kenosha, bought the Milwaukee lesbian bar D.K.'s in late 1987 and reopened it as the gay bar Triangle in June 1988. He owned the bar until about 1995. Alan Thomas purchased the A Person · Milwaukee Alan Kettering Alan Kettering bought Woody's Bar in Milwaukee on January 1, 2019, leaving an engineering career to run it. He aimed to make gradual improvements while preserving the bar's laid-back character and its A Person · Milwaukee Albert Tusa Albert Tusa opened Milwaukee's Tic Toc Club in 1940 and ran it until it was sold at auction in 1955. He afterward operated the Pink Pony, a cocktail lounge that became a longtime gay favorite. A Person · Milwaukee Alex Korchunoff Alex Korchunoff was the longtime owner of the Empire Lounge, a small piano bar at 716 N. Plankinton Avenue in downtown Milwaukee. A Person · Milwaukee Angelo Aiello Angelo "Angel" Aiello owned and managed the Mint Bar, one of Milwaukee's longest-running gay bars, from around 1960 until his death in 1978. His long-term success was widely admired in the local bar s A Person · Milwaukee Anna Gravelyn Anna Gravelyn (1876-1944), widely known as "Sailor Ann," was the proprietor of the Milwaukee dockside tavern she opened as the Sail & Rail Hotel & Buffet in 1900. Famous as the "Queen of the Marine Di B Person · Milwaukee Becky Persin Becky Persin co-owned Walker's Pint with Elizabeth Boenning when the Milwaukee women's bar opened in 2001. She left the business around 2003-2004 and went on to manage the Pumphouse bar. B Person · Milwaukee Bettie Aiello Bettie Aiello took over the Mint Bar after the 1978 death of her husband, owner Angelo Aiello, and continued running it through its 1986 relocation to South 2nd Street. B Person · Milwaukee Bev Nilsson Bev Nilsson, with Pete Nilsson, operated the Leaded Shade bar in the 1970s and went on to own the Milwaukee women's bar Lost & Found. B Person · Milwaukee Bill Kindt Bill Kindt co-founded the Wreck Room bar in Milwaukee in 1972 with his partner Wayne Bernhagen. He took sole ownership after Bernhagen's death in 1987 and ran the bar until it closed in 1996. B Person · Milwaukee Bill Lison Bill Lison was a co-founder and co-owner of the Hybrid Lounge on Brady Street in Milwaukee, opened in 2010. He sold his interest in the bar to co-owner Nate Fried in 2014. B Person · Milwaukee Bill Wardlow Bill Wardlow was a Milwaukee bartender who, with a partner, opened the martini bar Fluid in 1998 after both had worked at the Triangle. He later bought out his partner and became the bar's sole owner B Person · Milwaukee Bob Dietz Bob Dietz co-owned the Milwaukee bar BJ's Mint, later renamed BJ's, with Jim Jones, taking over the former Mint Bar in 1991. B Person · Milwaukee Bob Minzloff Bob Minzloff was a co-owner of the 1100 Club, a Milwaukee bar that operated from 1994 to 2003 and was popular with the city's leather community. B Person · Milwaukee Bob Schmidt He bought out his partners by 1985, ran the bar for decades, and sold the business in 2002 while remaining a fixture of the city's LGBTQ community. B Person · Milwaukee Bob Schnicker Bob Schnicker was one of four friends who opened the Milwaukee bar 3B's in 1991; the bar's name referenced the initials of three of its owners. B Person · Milwaukee Bobby Bell A locally known fashion designer and nightlife figure, he went on to open the bar Papagaio in December 1981. B Person · Milwaukee Bobby Cole Bobby Cole was one of four friends who opened the Milwaukee bar 3B's in 1991; the bar's name referenced the initials of three of its owners. B Person · Milwaukee Bobby Lyons A patron's recollection recounts a property dispute between Lyons and C'est La Vie owner John Clayton. Person · Milwaukee Bobby Schendel Bobby Schendel was a bartender at the Milwaukee gay bar Finale who purchased the business in 1983 and owned it until it closed following a 1986 fire.Bobb Schendel was active in various Milwaukee commu B Person · Milwaukee Brian Firkus Brian Firkus, known by the drag stage name Trixie Mattel, became a co-owner of the Milwaukee bar This Is It in February 2021, in part to help ensure the historic venue survived the COVID-19 pandemic. B Person · Milwaukee Bruce Lemke Bruce Lemke was one of four friends who opened the Milwaukee bar 3B's in 1991; the bar's name referenced the initials of three of its owners. C Person · Milwaukee Charles Piscuine Charles Piscuine co-owned Milwaukee's Lampost Bar with his brother John. He later managed the Towne Room Bar at the Towne Hotel and died in 1969. C Person · Milwaukee Christ Mares Christ Mares opened the Mint Bar on State Street in downtown Milwaukee on New Year's Day, 1949. The bar became one of the city's longest-running gay bars. C Person · Milwaukee Chuck Cicirello Chuck Cicirello was a Milwaukee bar owner who founded several gay dance venues, including the original Factory, the Factory II (1982–1984), and Factory 3, as well as the 27th Street Danceteria. He lat C Person · Milwaukee Clarence Germershausen Clarence Germershausen, known in the community as "John Clayton," founded the Milwaukee gay bar C'est La Vie in 1974 and operated it for many years. During the 1980s he became a prominent figure in th C Person · Milwaukee Corey Grubb Corey Grubb was a co-founder and longtime co-owner of the Milwaukee dance club La Cage, which opened in 1984. The club's basement restaurant, Grubb's Pub, was named for him. C Person · Milwaukee Cory Bartel Cory Bartel co-opened the Milwaukee bar D.I.X. with his sister Elizabeth Kujawa, moving from New Orleans to help launch the venue in 2010. D Person · Milwaukee Dan Hewett Dan Hewett operated the Milwaukee bar Shadows II- The Top Shelf, which he co-owned with Matthew Gorden from its opening in December 1987 until it closed in 1989. D Person · Madison Dave Eick Dave Eick became owner of Madison, Wisconsin's Club 5 in 2008 after working there as a bartender and general manager. He renamed the venue FIVE Nightclub in 2012 and, with community fundraising and re D Person · Milwaukee David Skwarek David Skwarek co-opened the PumpHouse, an LGBTQ bar in a converted Bay View pumping station, with Michael Murray in 2006. They sold the business in 2007. D Person · Milwaukee Dawn Musbach Dawn Musbach co-owned and operated Milwaukee's Nut Hut with her partner Michelle Murphy after they acquired the women's bar in the early 2000s. A customer favorite known for her candor, she helped run D Person · Milwaukee Don Krause Don Krause co-founded Milwaukee's Art Bar with his partner John Tomlinson in 2004. The couple later expanded their holdings to include the neighboring Two Bar & Lounge and the Wonderland Diner. D Person · Milwaukee Don Martinson Don Martinson was a co-owner of The TAZZbah Bar & Grille in Milwaukee (2004-2007), where he handled much of the building's rehabilitation. D Person · Madison Dudley Howe Dudley Howe (c.1910–1992) was the proprietor of the 602 Club, a Madison, Wisconsin tavern he opened in 1951 and ran for more than four decades. The bar was unusually tolerant for its era and became a E Person · Milwaukee Earl Thalacker Earl Thalacker co-founded the east-side Milwaukee gay bar Finale in 1975 with his partner, Frank Thalacker. E Person · Madison Ed Grunewald Ed Grunewald (died April 21, 2008) was a Madison, Wisconsin bar owner. He operated Manoeuvres in the mid-1990s and in 1998 opened the much larger Club 5 complex to meet community demand after a 1996 f E Person · Milwaukee Eddie Carver Eddie Carver was a co-owner of Milwaukee's Harbor Room and the married partner of founder Gregg Fitzpatrick. He died in June 2021. Person · Milwaukee Elizabeth (Bet-z) Boenning Elizabeth (Bet-z) Boenning has been best known as owner of one of the country's few remaining lesbian bars, "Walker's Pint". Elizabeth "Bet'z" Boenning opened Walker's Pint, a women's bar in Milwaukee E Person · Milwaukee Elizabeth Kujawa Elizabeth Kujawa opened the Milwaukee bar that became D.I.X., first launching it in 2007 as The General's before relaunching it as D.I.X. in 2010 with her brother and co-owner Cory Bartel. F Person · Milwaukee Frank Demling Frank Demling opened the Fox bar on Milwaukee's Plankinton Avenue in 1948 and operated it until his death in 1955. F Person · Milwaukee Frank Thalacker Frank Thalacker opened Shadows, a gay-owned restaurant and bar in Milwaukee's Walker's Point, in February 1980. The establishment earned a strong reputation for its American food. G Person · Milwaukee Gene O'Brien Gene O'Brien co-founded the Ball Game, a Milwaukee gay bar, with Rick Kowal in 1974. He remained a co-owner until his death in March 1985. G Person · Milwaukee George Bemis George Bemis was a former Milwaukee police sergeant who became a gay bar operator, taking over the Fox bar in 1964. He also owned the nearby New Yorker Lounge until the mid-1970s. G Person · Milwaukee George Prentice George Prentice was a co-founder and longtime co-owner of the Milwaukee dance club La Cage, which opened in 1984. He and Corey Grubb sold the club in 2005 but later resumed ownership. G Person · Milwaukee George Schneider George Schneider joined the staff of This Is It around 2010, became part owner, and assumed ownership of the Milwaukee bar after Joe Brehm's death in 2016, helping modernize it while preserving its ch G Person · Milwaukee Gregg Fitzpatrick Gregg Fitzpatrick founded the Harbor Room, a Milwaukee levi and leather bar, in 2000, purchasing and renovating the historic building. He operated it with his partner Eddie Carver until his death in D G Person · Milwaukee Gus Hosseini Gus Hosseini was a Milwaukee bar owner who operated the Unicorn (1984) in the basement of the Sidney HiH building, which he managed. He had earlier run a gay disco, the Golden Shaft, in the same space H Person · Milwaukee Harry Buettner Harry Buettner was one of the founders of Loose Ends, a Milwaukee bar he opened with Karen and Loren Buettner on Fond du Lac Avenue in February 1986. H Person · Stevens Point Henry Duda Henry H. "Hank" Duda (1921-2008) was the owner of the Platwood Club, a gay-friendly bar in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. A lifelong area resident, he served as Portage County Sheriff in the early 1950s, f Person · Milwaukee Ilet 'Tina' Terry Ilet Terry, known to everyone as "Tina", owned a series of LGBT bars catering to the African American (black) community from about 1982 to 1993. All the bars were named "Tina's RTI" which was located J Person · Madison J.J. O'Connell He opened it in 1986, briefly rebranded it as the dance-oriented Phaze II from 1991 to 1994, and then restored the Shamrock name, under which the bar continued for decades. J Person · Milwaukee James Marr James Marr, who performed as Lana St. James, owned the Milwaukee gay bar Triangle from 2000 until his sudden death in March 2011, after which ownership passed to a family member. J Person · Milwaukee James O'Connor James O'Connor purchased the River Queen bar in Milwaukee from Al Berry in 1973 and operated it through the mid-1970s, a period during which the bar drew a major police corruption investigation. J Person · Milwaukee Janet Mueller The venue was remembered as one of the city's most evenly mixed gay and lesbian bars. J Person · Milwaukee Jean Stellick Jean Stellick purchased the Milwaukee bar Loose Ends in December 1992, becoming its owner during the later years of its operation. J Person · Milwaukee Jerry Bentley Jerry Bentley was the partner of Jim Dorn and co-opened the Milwaukee gay bar Your Place in 1965, helping run it as a family-operated establishment. J Person · Milwaukee Jerry Breiling Jerry Breiling was a longtime Milwaukee gay-bar bartender and manager who, with his partner Serge Bellitelli, opened the bar Kruz in 2006. He died unexpectedly in October 2023. J Person · Milwaukee Jim Balistreri Jim Balistreri was the owner of Partners, a Milwaukee bar at 813 S. 1st Street that operated from 1989 to 1992 in the former Your Place location. J Person · Milwaukee Jim Dorn Jim Dorn opened Your Place, one of Milwaukee's first openly gay bars, in 1965 with his partner Jerry Bentley. A former Navy sailor, he chose the bar's discreet name so patrons could make plans without J Person · Milwaukee Jim Jones Jim Jones co-owned the Milwaukee bar BJ's Mint, later renamed BJ's, with Bob Dietz, taking over the former Mint Bar in 1991. J Person · Milwaukee Jim Moes He remained a partner in the business until owner Bob Schmidt bought out the partners by 1985. J Person · Milwaukee Jim Rodell Jim Rodell is believed to have been the owner of Mama Roux Bar Americain & Grill, a Milwaukee east-side bar and restaurant that operated from 1994 to 1999. J Person · Milwaukee Jim Seeboth Jim Seeboth co-founded the Circus dance club in Milwaukee in 1976 with George Prentice, operating it until the business was sold to new managers in 1978. J Person · Wauwatosa Jimmy Swittel Jimmy Swittel ran Jimmy's Hi-Fi Lounge, later known as Swittel's, a bar in Wauwatosa where he operated a gay bar on the upper floor. He was known to sing for patrons and came from a family prominent i J Person · Milwaukee JoAnn Kilsdonk JoAnn Kilsdonk co-founded the Sugar Shack, Milwaukee's first lesbian-owned bar for women, in 1975 with Sharon Dixon. She ran it until selling the business around 1981 and died in November 2019. Person · Milwaukee Joe Brehm It seems as if time has stood still when you walk into the unmarked bar on Wells Street across from Real Chili. The gold-flecked mirrors and the black leather booths that line the red-carpeted walls a J Person · Milwaukee Joel Castillo Joel Castillo, known as J.C., opened JC's Rainbow Bar on Milwaukee's south side in December 1990. The bar closed about five months later due to his health problems. J Person · Milwaukee John Clayton In 1975 he opened the south-side bar Advent while also running the bar C'est La Vie. J Person · Milwaukee John Piscuine John Piscuine co-owned Milwaukee's Lampost Bar with his brother Charles during its years as an underground gambling and bar venue. J Person · Milwaukee John Tomlinson John Tomlinson co-founded Milwaukee's Art Bar with his partner Don Krause in 2004. The couple later expanded their holdings to include the neighboring Two Bar & Lounge and the Wonderland Diner. J Person · Milwaukee Jonathan Cervero Jonathan Cervero opened the downtown Milwaukee pub JC's Pub & Grill in 2009. He had previously been a popular server at Harry's Bar and Grill in Shorewood. J Person · Milwaukee Joseph Enea Joseph Enea purchased the Empire Lounge in Milwaukee in 1975, intending to operate it as a gay bar, and briefly reopened it as a small disco. He had previously been associated with the Ad Lib club. J Person · Milwaukee June Brehm June Brehm founded This Is It in downtown Milwaukee in 1968, after previously running a supper club in Butler, Wisconsin. She owned the bar for over four decades until her death in January 2010. K Person · Milwaukee Karen Buettner Karen Buettner was one of the founders of Loose Ends, a Milwaukee bar she opened with Harry and Loren Buettner on Fond du Lac Avenue in February 1986. K Person · Milwaukee Karla Farr Karla Farr managed the Lost & Found, a women's bar and disco on Milwaukee's North 27th Street, from its 1978 opening, and is credited with creating a popular and distinctive space for women. K Person · Milwaukee Kathy Kau Kathy Kau took over a Milwaukee neighborhood bar and reopened it as Kathy's Nut Hut in the early 1980s, building it into the city's longest-running women's bar. She brought the bar openly into the gay L Person · Milwaukee Larry Fleege Larry Fleege co-owned the Milwaukee bar First Street Tavern with Leroy Stern, which the couple opened and lived behind in 1982. L Person · Milwaukee Larry Krueger Larry Krueger owned and operated Cafe Melange, a lounge, cabaret, and restaurant in Milwaukee's Hotel Wisconsin, from 1987 until its closing in 1997. L Person · Milwaukee Leo Peters He remained a partner in the business until owner Bob Schmidt bought out the partners by 1985. L Person · Milwaukee Leroy Stern Leroy Stern co-owned the Milwaukee bar First Street Tavern with Larry Fleege, which the couple opened and lived behind in 1982. L Person · Milwaukee Loren Buettner Loren Buettner was one of the founders of Loose Ends, a Milwaukee bar he opened with Karen and Harry Buettner on Fond du Lac Avenue in February 1986. M Person · Milwaukee Marvin Klein Marvin Klein was the license holder of the Pink Glove, a short-lived 1958 Milwaukee gay bar that he and Harold Klein opened in a remodeled Broadway cocktail lounge. M Person · Milwaukee Matthew Gorden Matthew Gorden owned the South 2nd Street building that housed several Milwaukee gay bars and was co-owner of Shadows II- The Top Shelf, which opened there in 1987. M Person · Milwaukee Michael Murray Michael Murray co-opened the PumpHouse, an LGBTQ bar in a converted Bay View pumping station, with David Skwarek in 2006. They sold the business in 2007. M Person · Milwaukee Michelle Murphy Michelle Murphy, a former bartender at Kathy's Nut Hut, purchased the Milwaukee bar around 2002 and ran it with her partner Dawn Musbach, shortening its name to the Nut Hut. They operated the women's M Person · Milwaukee Mike Petri Mike Petri was a co-owner of the 1100 Club, a Milwaukee bar that operated from 1994 to 2003 and was popular with the city's leather community. M Person · Milwaukee Milton Rickun Milton Rickun is listed in Milwaukee city directories as the owner or licensee of the French Quarter bar in the late 1960s. N Person · Milwaukee Nate Fried Nate Fried was a co-founder and owner of the Hybrid Lounge on Brady Street in Milwaukee, which he opened in 2010 with Bill Lison and owned solely after 2014. N Person · Milwaukee Nicholas Marmigas Nicholas Marmigas operated the Legion Bar at 745 N. 6th Street in Milwaukee through the 1940s, an early and discreet gathering place for gay men. N Person · Milwaukee Niko Stathis Niko Stathis owned Niko's, a short-lived bar on Milwaukee's south side in the early 1980s, and was a longtime part of the city's gay community. N Person · Milwaukee Norman J. Komassa Norman J. Komassa was listed as the owner of the Forum, a Milwaukee gay bar at 12th and Vine Streets, in a mid-1960s city directory. N Person · Milwaukee Norman Ver Bruggen Norman Ver Bruggen owned the Wildwood, a Milwaukee lesbian bar, from 1959 until he sold it in early 1963. He held interests in several inner-city taverns and was later convicted in a 1963 robbery spre O Person · Milwaukee Otto Schuler After that building was demolished, he relocated the business, opening a new Seaway restaurant and the bar Jamie's on South 2nd Street. He died in November 1973. P Person · Milwaukee Patrick Prudlow Patrick Prudlow was one of four friends who opened the Milwaukee bar 3B's in 1991. P Person · Milwaukee Pete Nilsson Pete Nilsson, with Bev Nilsson, operated the Leaded Shade bar in the 1970s and went on to own the Milwaukee women's bar Lost & Found. P Person · Milwaukee Peter Antross Peter Antross operated Sally's Cocktail Bar in Milwaukee and, after being required to rename it as a condition of a 1944 tavern license, ran it as the Gaytime Bar with his brother George. He died in 1 R Person · Milwaukee Ray Arce Ray Arce co-founded Woody's Bar in Milwaukee in 1997 with Steve Behl, and was interviewed about the bar's plans in the gay press ahead of its opening. R Person · Madison Ray Jacobson Ray Jacobson opened Ray's Bar & Grill in Madison, Wisconsin in December 1992. Over roughly fourteen years he operated the business through several relocations and name changes—including Geraldine's (n R Person · Milwaukee Reginald LeClaire Reginald LeClaire operated the Bull Ring, a discreet gay bar near Milwaukee's Mount Sinai Hospital, from about 1953 to 1962. R Person · Madison Ricardo Gonzalez Ricardo Gonzalez opened the Cardinal Bar in Madison, Wisconsin in 1974 and operated it for most of its history until its closure in 2017. He developed the venue into one of the city's leading dance cl R Person · Milwaukee Richard Shannon Richard (Dick) Shannon operated the Regency East Lounge, a Milwaukee gay bar on North Water Street, from 1965 through the end of the decade. R Person · Milwaukee Rick Kowal Rick Kowal (Richard Kowal) co-founded the Ball Game, a Milwaukee gay bar, with Gene O'Brien in 1974. After O'Brien's death in 1985, Kowal continued to operate the bar on his own for nearly three decad R Person · Milwaukee Rob Bruckner Rob Bruckner owned the Milwaukee gay bar Triangle from about 1995 to 2000, succeeding founder Al Thomas. R Person · Madison Rodney Scheel Rodney Scheel was a Madison, Wisconsin bar owner and a significant figure in the city's LGBTQ business history during the 1970s through the 1990s. He was a proprietor of the Back Door (opened 1972) an S Person · Milwaukee Sam Mazur Sam Mazur opened the Oregon House at 235 S. 2nd Street in 1976, the first of many LGBTQ businesses to occupy that Milwaukee address. S Person · Milwaukee Serge Bellitelli Serge Bellitelli co-founded the Milwaukee bar Kruz in 2006 with his partner Jerry Breiling, and continued to operate it after Breiling's death in 2023. S Person · Milwaukee Sharon Dixon Washington Street in the early 1980s and operated a succession of venues at that address, the last of which was Studio 200 (2011–2018). S Person · Milwaukee Si Smits Si Smits was the owner and operator of the Boot Camp Saloon, a Milwaukee levi/leather bar he ran from 1984 until the building was destroyed by fire in 2011. He was known for hosting frequent community S Person · Milwaukee Sophie Uzelac After the city shut the bar down, she was barred from operating a business in Milwaukee. S Person · Milwaukee Steve Behl Steve Behl co-founded Woody's Bar in Milwaukee in 1997 with Ray Arce. He championed the idea of a gay sports bar, installing a large-screen television to draw crowds for Packers games. S Person · Milwaukee Steve Byers Steve Byers was a business owner in Milwaukee. T Person · Milwaukee Tony Machi Tony Machi took over Milwaukee's Riviera cocktail lounge around 1951, operating it as "Tony's Riviera," regarded as the city's premier gay bar of the 1950s, until a fire destroyed it in 1964. He later W Person · Milwaukee Wade Twamley Wade Twamley managed JC's Rainbow Bar and went on to open and operate the Rainbow Revue in 1991. He later donated photo albums documenting both bars to the UWM Archives' LGBT Collection. W Person · Milwaukee Wally Whetham Wally Whetham operated several early Milwaukee gay-friendly taverns, including the Black Nite, its renamed successor the Bourbon Beat, and the Captain's Cabin. His run of bar businesses ended with a b W Person · Milwaukee Wayne Bernhagen Wayne Bernhagen co-founded Milwaukee's Wreck Room bar in 1972 and was active in the city's leather community and gay softball, helping organize the Wreck Room Classic tournament. He died of AIDS in 19 W Person · Milwaukee Wilbert German Wilbert German bought the Wildwood in early 1963 and ran it as German's Wildwood, a butch lesbian bar, until it closed in 1964. W Person · Milwaukee William Mansfield William Mansfield operated the Clifton Tap, a small tavern in Milwaukee's Clifton House Hotel and one of the city's earliest known gay bars.