Aunt Charlie's Lounge secures enough donations to remain in business
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Aunt Charlie’s Lounge, located at 133 Turk St. in San Francisco, has secured enough donations to remain in business amid the pandemic.
Photo: Kevin Y. On YelpAunt Charlie’s Lounge, located at 133 Turk St. in San Francisco, has secured enough donations to remain in business amid the pandemic.
Aunt Charlie’s Lounge, located at 133 Turk St. in San Francisco, has secured enough donations to remain in business amid the pandemic.
Aunt Charlie’s Lounge, located at 133 Turk St. in San Francisco, has secured enough donations to remain in business amid the pandemic.
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Just about a week after a crowdfunding effort was set up to save Aunt Charlie’s Lounge from permanent closure, the Tenderloin’s only gay bar has secured enough donations to remain in business.
A GoFundMe account that was set up on May 30 with a goal of $100,000 surpassed its goal on Monday by more than $1,200 and counting.
Myles Cooper, DJ and host of drag at Aunt Charlie's Lounge, was overjoyed to learn that the fundraiser was a success as the bar’s future had been uncertain amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
“I am absolutely over the moon that the community came together to save Aunt Charlie's,” Cooper told SFGATE. “I am touched that so many people value the space and find it is in line with their values.”
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Cooper, who organized the fundraiser with a group of artists and nonprofit workers, said that owners William and Marie Erkelens were touched at the support of more than 1,600 donors who supported Aunt Charlie’s.
According to the GoFundMe page, additional donations made beyond the goal will go towards the long-term sustainability of the bar. Since March, Aunt Charlie’s has been closed after mandatory shelter-in-place orders were established. When the bar owners applied for a Paycheck Protection Loan, only a fraction of the funds were given based on the size of the space, according to the GoFundMe page.
In California, bars, hotels, gyms, and museums could reopen as early as June 12, according to the Associated Press.
For now, Cooper is thankful that Aunt Charlie’s will survive the pandemic.
“There is no place like Aunt Charlie's,” Cooper said. “It will continue to be the site of wild drag nights, funerals, fundraisers, birthdays, the sharing of oral histories, weddings, and dancing to Donna Summer's ‘Last Dance’ at 1:45 a.m.”
Aunt Charlie’s Lounge first opened in 1987. It’s located at 133 Turk St. in San Francisco.
Susana Guerrero is a food reporter at SFGATE. Email: Susana.Guerrero@sfgate.com | Twitter: @SusyGuerrero3
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