Milwaukee’s iconic downtown LGBTQ bar, This Is It!, has closed its doors permanently after nearly 57 years in business. The closure is attributed to growing maintenance and labor costs, as well as an extended street closure that restricted bar traffic.
General manager Darnell Watson explained that the COVID crisis, combined with an eight-month street closure for construction, put the business into financial distress. “We barely had a sidewalk in front of our door for months,” Watson said. “We looked closed, the street looked vacant, and it became really hard to bring people out.”
The bar’s management had planned renovations but was unable to complete them due to the prolonged closure. Owner George Schneider reportedly drained his savings to cover costs, with the building owner offering discounts in lieu of payment.
Co-owner Brian Firkus (Trixie Mattel) faced backlash online after posting a brief message about the closure, which some saw as inadequate. However, Watson declined to comment on Mattel’s post, stating that Schneider lacks the financial capacity to reopen at present. Representatives from Van Buren Management have not responded to requests for comment on the status of the space on Wells Street.
Source: https://biztimes.com/we-couldnt-keep-pouring-money-into-a-black-hole