Charleston gay club
Site of the Grand Palace
Originally at this location was Summers Market, built in the early 1940s and owned by Abraham and Takla Summers. In the 1970s Abraham Summers retired and the business passed to one of his daughters. In 1974, she decided to stop managing the store and sold it to her brother, Lee Summers. Lee Summers opened The Greek Downtown Lounge, one of the first two gay bars in Charleston. The other was the Longbranch on Morris Road, owned by Hershel Layne. Both opened around the matching time.
In the late 1970s Summers built an addition on the building, added a proper stage and dancefloor, and rebranded the bar to the Grand Palace. The Grand Palace was Charleston’s biggest homosexual bar, on occupied nights there might be 800 people there.
In 1986 Summers approached Hershel Layne about purchasing the Grand Palace since Hershel owned other gay bars in the capital, and Hershel purchased the building for $200,000. Unfortunately, in the 1980s and 1990s a recent type of crowd attended the block as the stigma of attending a gay bar lessened, and the establishment was plagued by drug raids and other issues. Hershel closed the Grand Palace around 2003 and the building sat vacant for a coupl
Come out to Practice!Get Ready for Rugby at one of our practices, Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7pm!
No experience needed! Come on out and see if YOU are a rugby player!
Browse MORERUGBY. FAMILY. PRIDE.Check out our calendar to see where you can catch the Blockade!
Upcoming Matches And Events
READ MOREWe're Social!Follow us on Facebook to keep up with the latest from the Charleston Blockade
Follow us on FacebookBAR
POLARI
What do you know about Polari?
Polari, a establish of slang that evolved into a kind of covert language, was used by various marginalized groups and popularized by the same-sex attracted community in the 19th century. With this idea in mind, owner Brent Compagni created Prevent Polari as an intimate setting where you and your friends or lovers can kick help and kiki with us. Tucked away on Reynolds Ave., Bar Polari is a special hideaway for the Gay community in Charleston.
At Bar Polari, we're redefining what it means to be a lgbtq+ bar. Our cozy indoor space provides a sensual and ambient atmosphere for friends, wanderers, and adventurers to give a drink and a story together as equals. While our community may be under strike, we can collect as our legitimate selves to split our dreams, fears, and plans over our favorite libations. Fundamentally, Bar Polari is a room where you can come for a drink and a chat.
We want to be exclusive in the best way possible. Everyone is invited, but only some are in the know. Now that you’re in the know, combine us for refreshingly unique and carefully curated drinks. Our cocktail menu may have some unfamiliar ingredient
NORTH CHARLESTON — Brent Compagni wanted to provide the queer community with a new option.
The city already boasts one space with drag queens and move music, so his first business venture would be different. A speakeasy-inspired cocktail lounge would best provide the LGBTQ+ community, he decided.
“I thought it would be good to offer a space that people could talk to others within the collective and bring the people together,” said Compagni of Bar Polari, which opened at 1813 Reynolds Ave., in July. “We really focus on not only the cocktails themselves but curating a space that makes everyone want to talk to each other.”
The new cocktail bar is named after a build of slang that evolved into a secret language and was popularized by the gay community in the 19th century. Exclude Polari patrons will locate Compagni, who moved to Charleston four years ago, at the bar most nights, where patrons can choose from about a dozen house-crafted cocktails prefer the Bibi with tequila, Campari, grapefruit, lime, strawberry syrup and soda.
“I relish meeting new people and love being a host and making people sense welcome and warm,” Compagni said.
Bar Polari also boasts three nonalcoholic drinks an