The Castro LGBTQ nightclub Beaux will be holding a "reinvention" celebration Saturday, August 3, starting with a ribbon cutting for recent renovations and concluding with a party. It's the latest effort by a small business to "double down" on the future of the neighborhood, bar officials stated.
Several of the Beaux staff are also involved with the effort to open Pink Swallow, an LGBTQ restaurant and bar. It's slated to occupy a prime location at Castro and 18th streets that formerly housed Harvey's, which closed a year and a half ago.
Meanwhile, Q Bar at 456 Castro Street has been closed since a 2019 fire. Gay co-owner Cip Cipriano has not answered the Bay Area Reporter's requests for comment on when it will reopen since October 4, 2023, when he stated, "we won't announce a date until we have everything completely done."
The vibes seem better at Beaux, located at 2344 Market Street. Joshua J. Cook, a gay man who is the club's manager, told the B.A.R. that the redesign of the club's interior concluded last month. He said that the redesign increased the space of the dance floor by 40%.
"We were trying to find out how to make the dance floor bigger. This created a lot more space," Cook said, adding that another reason for the work was because the club recently celebrated a decade in business.
"Looking forward to the future of our next 10 years, we thought it was a good time for us to update and reinvent ourselves for the new era of the Castro," Cook said, adding that Beaux wants to "present a new, modern version of ourselves."
To that end, Beaux utilized Gi Paoletti Design Lab, a San Francisco firm.
"Some of the changes [were] we built a whole new seated, luxurious lounge in the front of the venue with all new built-in seating," Cook said, adding that the designers also "removed the small bar that was underneath the mezzanine and moved the DJ booth under the mezzanine to a new location."
There's also a 20 foot LED screen wall, Cook added, and "new updated club lighting, which is really focused at night when it's dance club status. It's been 10 years and that industry and that tech has changed. ... We went down to the Las Vegas Nightlife and Restaurant Convention and took a look at the gadgets and all the stuff and talked to a lighting designer who took us through all the lighting."
Paoletti, of the eponymous design firm, stated to the B.A.R., "I welcomed the opportunity to help Beaux continue its success with a refresh of the space. We knew from watching how patrons interacted within the space that enlarging the dance floor was eminent, but equally important was adding color, shimmer, texture, new furniture and lighting that would encourage carefree enjoyment of the already familiar space. "
The August 3 lineup started with a ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring San Francisco Mayor London Breed, gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), Sister Roma of the drag nun group Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, and drag artist Juanita MORE!
Roma stated to the B.A.R. that "Beaux is the Castro's Pink Pony Club," referring to a 2020 Chappell Roan song.
"It's home to established performers and also showcases the newest kings and queens on the scene," Roma continued. "I am thrilled to join them for their big reveal."
Wiener, who lives nearby, told the B.A.R. that "Beaux is such a huge part of nightlife in the Castro, and I'm thrilled Beaux is continuing to invest in our neighborhood."
MORE! told the B.A.R., "I'm excited about Beaux's remodel and reinvention. For Pride in June, they created a cocktail named after the weekly party I hosted with Joshua J for eight years, aptly named 'Booty Call.'
"The drink consists of passion fruit, citrus, Olga Vodka, Aperol, and Tajin — delicious and dangerous," MORE! continued. "It was such a success that they added the cocktail to their new craft cocktail menu and will donate a portion of the sales to LYRIC. Beaux already exists as one of the Castro district's premiere bars. The remodel will secure its place in San Francisco's queer nightlife."
As the B.A.R. previously reported, LYRIC, a center for LGBTQ youth, has seen some cuts to its city funding as San Francisco faces a fiscal reckoning.
MORE! DJed a private reception featuring an expansion of the club's cocktail menu.
Pink Swallow
Cook is also a member of, and the spokesperson for, the ownership group that took over the old Harvey's space at 500 Castro Street for the future Pink Swallow. He said Gi Paoletti Design Lab is also redesigning that space.
"We had already finished the conceptual design for Pink Swallow," Cook said. "Since we had design on the brain, we thought 'why don't we redesign Beaux as well?'"
But Cook stressed that the "design of Beaux will stand completely on its own and there will not be any similar elements."
Cook told the B.A.R. that work on Pink Swallow has been held up due to an outdated kitchen. The B.A.R. reported in February that the city's planning commission approved a conditional use authorization that month to establish a nighttime entertainment zone on the first and second floors of the space.
"It's still moving forward," Cook stated. "There was a small pause as the owners of the building investigated or discovered what needed to happen to bring the kitchen to current city codes. I don't think it'd been brought to code for decades to be honest, so it took exploration to figure out what to do."
Pink Swallow had been slated to open by this summer — Cook stated that the group doesn't have an estimated opening time, but it'll happen hopefully sometime next year, he stated.
"We already received a conditional use permit and now we're getting ready to apply for permits with all the different departments in the city, and we'll be accepting bids from general contractors," he said, later stressing the opening time depends on that permitting process.
Updated, 8/1/24: This article has been updated with comments from the design company and Juanita MORE!
Updated, 8/6/24: This article has been updated.
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