The Last of the Red Hot Gay Beach Clubs

Main Street Bar and Cabaret isn't just the main gay bar in Laguna Beach; it's the only one. The Rage Monthly chatted with those behind the scenes about the club's enduring legacy.

For Main Street Bar and Cabaret's general manager Craig Cooley, running the last remaining gay-specific bar in a town that once played host to many is akin to wearing a badge of honor. "I'm very proud that we are still standing and that people still come out to our establishment," Cooley tells The Rage Monthly. "We are grateful that we have survived, yes, and we are very grateful for those that carried us through those difficult times."

Originally opened in 1968 as a piano bar named Fleur de Lis after the space was converted from a pottery company to a lounge, the facility was licensed as a cabaret piano bar and renamed the Main Street Bar in 1975. After undergoing something of an "identity crisis" in the early 2000s, when it was purchased by James Nelson and became first Club Bounce and then simply Bounce, the club made a welcome return to its roots in 2014 with another name change and a hefty facelift.

"The club had earned a reputation as a dive bar, with dirty floors, unacceptable facilities and I felt the only way to redeem ourselves was to demonstrate to our audience that we cared," Cooley says. Hence, Cooley put in a new stage, lights and a sound system and "loaded up on our entertainment schedule" by hiring go-go boys, resident standards singer Endora, party director Mervin Ferero and reopened as the Main Street Bar and Cabaret, to great success.

"The crowd response has been overwhelming at times," Cooley says. "There's a general sense of euphoria and everyone has great things to say. I often feel humbled by the accolades."

With regular events like comedy night, drag bingo, karaoke, progressive EDM and House Thursdays, their Laguna Underground Night and even the occasional trivia night to elevate the club beyond its piano bar and cabaret roots, the Main Street Bar is once again a thriving destination. It's not just gays; many straight patrons stop in while staying in the nearby resorts.

"We fondly entertain gay and straight and the straight are having an absolute blast!"Cooley enthuses. "We are a fun loving entertainment venue, with hot dance crowds and crazy cabaret entertainment. We like to feel we are a very important part of the local color, flavor and culture that makes Laguna Beach a fun destination for everyone!"

Still, Cooley says it's his pleasure to be able to cater to a crowd whose options have waned in recent years. "Our mantra is 'Bringin' the Gay back to Laguna Beach,' but not in the same vein as before," he notes. "Times have changed. It is a new culture-I call it Gay Culture 2.0-and it is not a bad thing. As we are accepted more everywhere, we have become more accepting in return."

Cooley's sentiments are echoed by Wendy Nelson, who serves as the behind-the-scenes proprietress in her brother's absence, and for whom Main Street's continued success is close to her heart. "Growing up in Laguna, I would go dancing at the gay bars because I wasn't bothered and could just have fun," she says. "I hope that our continuously growing clientele will always feel welcome, free to have fun and at the same time, learn about the gay culture, which is such a huge part of Laguna's cultural heritage."

A BRIEF TIMELINE: LAGUNA'S LGBT HISTORY

1920s - Laguna Beach becomes a destination for film crews due to its ideal shooting locales, with many gays discovering its hidden charms. The South Seas bar, originally a bar for military servicemen, gains a reputation for hosting gay clientele and eventually becomes the Boom Boom Room.

1930s - In order to avoid raids on gay bars in West Hollywood, patrons from Los Angeles make the short trek to cozier gay clubs in Laguna, while several of Hollywood's elite (including Rudolph Valentino, Bette Davis, Mary Pickford and Judy Garland) also become regulars.

1940s - Laguna's gay clubs become a haven for"not-quite-out"actors on the D.L... Rock Hudson is routinely spotted at the Boom Boom Room.

1960s/70s - Laguna officially becomes known as "a gay playground" as gay-owned and operated hangouts boom.

1980s - Laguna's LGBT population rises to an estimated 25 to 30 percent and openly gay university professor Bob Gentry is elected to City Council in 1982. Seven years later, Gentry becomes the first openly gay mayor elected in the U.S.

1990s - Other openly gay candidates become elected to office as Laguna's"gay village" continues to thrive.

2000s - As conservative values take hold, popular bars like Woody's and Little Shrimp are shut down and Laguna's gay scene begins to dissipate. By 2014, Main Street Bar and Cabaret is the last remaining gay-specific location in the area.

Main Street Bar and Cabaret is located at 1460 South Coast Highway in Laguna Beach, CA. For a calendar listing of events and other information, visit mainstreet-bar.com