After the recent death of owner James Nelson, Laguna Beach’s last gay bar, Main Street Bar & Cabaret (aka The Anchor Line Bar & Cabaret), may have to close.
Nelson’s sister, Wendy, said that her brother’s death, the impact of COVID, and a recent threat of a rent increase, have made it nearly impossible to continue – unless a new benefactor can step in.
“We are reaching out to help with expenses as we look for a new owner,” she said on a new GoFundMe page. “The landlord is doubling the rent. We have endured tremendous hardship during this time. We are reaching out to the gay and straight communities to come together and help us during our search for the next owner.”
Located at 1460 S. Coast Hwy., Main Street has been struggling for several years. In 2015, it went through a remodel and tried to infuse new energy by overhauling its weekly program with karaoke, trivia games and a better happy hour.
“I hope what happens is that the gay crowd will come here and meet some nice straight people, and the straight people will come here and have a great time,” said then manager Craig Cooley.
Cooley predicted that the road ahead might be difficult.
“I think the bottom line in the new culture is that the gay clubs are not exclusively gay anymore, and there are a lot of straight people that like gay clubs because they say they’re a lot more fun,” he said. “I looked at the big picture and my first marketing question was, ‘Can Laguna Beach support a gay club?’”
The answer now may be obvious, but Wendy Nelson still retains some hope.
“We will not make it through much longer without your support,” she said. “Your business and support means a lot at a time like this. The bar is currently for sale, and we would like to keep going and allow a smooth transition into new ownership.
“Stop by for our happy hour, drag show, karaoke, Endora’s dress rehearsal, to dance with DJ Wall-E, or just to have a good time with friends.”
