The diverse audience Singers attracts can be partly attributed to the branding – or rather, the lack thereof. The exterior is nondescript and bears no glaring LGBTQ markings like rainbows or trans flags, but word of mouth has enticed a growing base of regular customers.
The staff, like that of C’mon Everybody, a bar known for its drag shows a few blocks away, also reflect this hodgepodge of clientele. It’s not so much a lesbian, gay, or transgender bar as it is a bar run by lesbian, gay, and transgender people, says Singers manager Myles Platt.
Kelly McCarthy, co-owner of the nearby photography shop Exposure Therapy with Drew Adler, spends many nights at Singers. She said she loved that the bar doesn’t cater to just one type of LGBTQ customer. “It’s pop-friendly, trans-friendly and non-binary-friendly,” she said. “People who are cool from those groups, even people who are really annoying from those groups can all feel very comfortable there.”
Customers said that on any given night you probably recognize someone you know from X’s queer pockets, formerly known as Twitter, or maybe someone you’ve seen on a gay dating app.
In the bar’s red-lit back room is a vending machine, which, depending on inventory, can be filled with gum, Emergen-C, collagen face masks, disposable cameras, and even USBs that come with every “Final Destination” movie. “Anything that fits,” Mr. Escobar said.
