BUSINESS
Castro’s Warehouse opens up next door to Rain on 4th / photo credit: Chase Martin
Austin NIGHTLIFE CHANGES Chase Martin
chase@therepubliq.com | @chaseinaustin Apparently, Austin’s nightlife is like the weather; if you wait long enough, it’s gonna change. And boy, were there a lot of change here recently. The Warehouse District has at least two new gay bars. Austin loses its only lesbian bar.
Gone are the sharks under the dancefloor and the tacky clawfooted bathtub in the front area. Highlights include the big comfy booths, the variety of frozen cocktails behind the bar and after hours dancing to some of your favorite deejays.
Sadly, Rusty’s over on East 7th Street announced before SXSW that they would be closing their doors after St Patrick’s Day. Austin not only loses the one place you can learn to line dance with your samesex partner, but also one of the few gay bars that hosts live music on a regular basis.
Around the corner, another Yassine property has finally reopened. 404, located where Kiss & Fly used to be, opened up during SXSW. Like Kiss & Fly, expect it to be an after hours hotspot.
Down the street, Lipstick 24 announced that they would be changing for SXSW. During the festival it was revealed that the building that housed Austin’s only lesbian bar would become part of Empire, a live music venue that includes the Empire Automotive lot next door.
Just before SXSW it was announced that The Basement over on the corner of Congress Avenue and 5th Street would be closing and all the weekly shows were cancelled. A few days later they announced that they would remain open during SXSW. As of press time, we were able to confirm that they are still open, but most of the weekly shows had not been rebooked.
On the Friday that opened up SXSW Interactive, Castro’s Warehouse, swung open their gates opening up the space between 4th Street mainstays Oilcan Harry’s and Rain on 4th. Owned and staffed by several familiar faces from Rain, the bar took over the space that once housed the Yassine bar, Hyde.
Posh, over on West 4th Street at the old 219 West location, has been unofficially open since late last year, but hasn’t been approved for a liquor license yet. During SXSW, the venue removed their signage and rainbow flags. As of press time, it is unclear if they intend to open.
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April 2013 | Issue 002
3/26/13 01:21:21 PM