The old plantation gay bar dallas
Among Caven’s Dallas bars were The Candy Store, Mark Twain, LaFitte’s, Mother Blues, The Wooden Nickle and 4001. But in its heyday, the list contained very different names.
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Today the company operates four bars in Dallas - TMC: The Mining Company, JR.’s Bar & Grill, Sue Ellen’s and S4. The company incorporated as Caven Enterprises, Inc., in 1981.īy the time of his death at 68 in 1988, he had been owner of 60 clubs in Texas, Florida and Washington, D.C., among other locations, according his obituary that appeared in This Week In Texas two weeks after his death. It wasn’t until the 1970s that Caven ventured into Dallas (and later Houston), eventually taking his successful formula for bars national. He’s optimistic about the future of Dallas’s "gayborhood" with all the bars and clubs in Oak Lawn, confirming they expect to make a comeback.Frank Caven was closely associated with Dallas, but the founder of a string of gay clubs was born in Philadelphia and opened his first Texas bar in 1963 … in El Paso. Pierce is concerned about the possibility of the bar becoming a “super-spreader” location but says with the precautions they’re implementing, businesses like theirs shouldn’t be forced to stay closed. Pierce says they’ll allow 40 people on the dance floor at a time, and only if they're wearing masks.īefore COVID-19, the Round-Up had an occupancy of 850.Īlthough business won’t look the same the bar’s staff is eager to roll with the punches, “and hopefully get back to the good ol’ days of dancing, sooner rather than later,” said Pierce. The Round-Up will only allow people wearing masks to enter the bar, only to be removed when sitting to eat. This is a new experience with this food thing.” said Pierce. “We’ll open at probably 25 percent, and then move up to 50 in a week or two, maybe, as we get comfortable.
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Now, considered a makeshift restaurant, Pierce and Miller plan to phase in the 50 percent capacity rule. However, over in Fort Worth Tarrant County’s Judge allowed bars to reopen with 50 percent capacity starting October 14. "We're In This Together" sign outside of JR's Bar (Spectrum News) The bar will be serving food prepared by a local food truck that will be parked in the bar’s back parking lot.īars and clubs like TMC, and Station-4 across the street from the Round-Up, which don’t have the TABC certification, will remain closed in Dallas. Pierce and Miller just got their certificate the first week of October and plan to reopen soon. In August, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission created a loophole allowing bar owners to apply for a food and beverage certificate under the condition that food and merchandise must make up at least 51 percent of the bar’s total earnings. “At least now Governor Abbott has given the approval to reopen, but then he gave the final approval to our local county judges, and so Clay Jenkins in Dallas has said ‘no,’ he will not allow bars to open, they’re literally killing our businesses.” said Pierce. Now, seven months deep into this pandemic, Pierce and Miller will be the first to tell you when it comes to economic fallout, bars like the Round-Up have been some the hardest hit businesses. Since they took ownership, Pierce can’t remember a single weekend the bar had been closed before the pandemic shutdown.
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Pierce is proud to remind anyone that the Round-Up’s not only a popular destination spot for Dallasites but also attracts visiting stars like Willie Nelson and Lady Gaga, just to name a few. Round-Up Saloon owner Alan Pierce (Spectrum News)