The Gangway, at 841 Larkin Street, one of the Tenderloin district's last gay bars, closed for good Saturday, January 27. Many say the Gangway was more than 100 years old. Former owner Jung Lee, 65, said that Sam Ruslender Young, the new owner of the bar's liquor licenses, contacted him Saturday with "no notice whatsoever" and told him he had to shut down that night. "I was really pissed off," said Lee. "... All my staff was upset. My customers were upset."
However, Lee, who told the Bay Area Reporter in 2016 that he hoped to sell the bar and retire, said Monday that the net price he got for the business is $350,000. The sale to Young had been pending for months. Young, who also owns the Kozy Kar bar at 1548 Polk Street, couldn't be reached for comment. He plans to open Young's Kung Fu Action Theatre and Laundry at the site, according to the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. The agency's website says the bar's liquor licenses were issued to him January 24.