The Pawn Shop
1222 NE 2nd Ave
305 373 35 11
www.thepawnshoplounge.com
Pawn Shop is located in the recently renovated Downtown Miami next to the Miami Performing Arts Center. It is not a purely gay lounge. It attracts a straight crowd as well as a gay crowd to make an interesting mix.
One thing that the two crowds have in [...] [...more]
1222 NE 2nd Ave
305 373 35 11
www.thepawnshoplounge.com
Pawn Shop is located in the recently renovated Downtown Miami next to the Miami Performing Arts Center. It is not a purely gay lounge. It attracts a straight crowd as well as a gay crowd to make an interesting mix.
One thing that the two crowds have in common is that they are both trendy. The unique décor of this popular spot is made up of sections set up to resemble different transportation systems. The Pawn shop in Miami was recently ranked amongst the top 20 clubs in the country.
It was great to be young and gay in Miami in the 1970’s. Laws prohibiting “known” gays to be served liquor or hang out in a tavern were overturned and AIDS and other serious diseases were not an issue at the time which allowed gays to feel free and sexually expressive. Plus, at the [...] [...more]
It was great to be young and gay in Miami in the 1970’s. Laws prohibiting “known” gays to be served liquor or hang out in a tavern were overturned and AIDS and other serious diseases were not an issue at the time which allowed gays to feel free and sexually expressive. Plus, at the time, the legal drinking age was 18, which was perfect for the young gays who just came out. Naturally, Miami’s lesbian and gay bar scene was booming.
There were more gay bars in Miami Beach and Miami in 1974 than there are today. A 1975 bar rag, “Where the Action Is” listed 13 Miami bars and 6 Beach bars. This did not include some gay bars in Miami or other spots where gays socialized such as the 21st Street and Virginia Beaches, Danny’s Book Store, Florida Pharmacy, Rio Theater, Bayfront Park, the Club Miami and Regency Baths, Downtown YMCA and the Greyhound Bus Station.
The Cactus Lounge: Up until a couple of years ago, the Cactus Lounge on Biscayne Boulevard was the only South Florida 1974 gay bar still around.
The Nook: Coral Gables’ only gay bar. Here, gentlemen dressed in dark suits and sipped martinis while the sounds of Judy Garland or Barbra Streisand records played from the jukebox.
The Warehouse VIII: Where 1974’s real gay action happened. It was located on S.W. 8th Street and 36th Avenue. The joint had an enormous dance floor, a Levi-leather bar in the back, a cruise bar upstairs and a rooftop area. “The Gay Insider USA” described the Warehouse as a “Huge place; [with a] suspended horse-drawn cart; [and] pool tables. Upstairs is a swinging bar, but not too friendly to outsiders.” The bar closed at 5AM.
El Carol: A “mixed” bar on LeJeune Road, a block South of Calle Ocho.
The Second Landing: A gay bar on the second floor of a building on the S.W. corner of 8th Street and LeJeune. The Second Landing was previously known as Step Mother’s and Bachelor’s West. This late bar was also open till 5AM. It was the spot for young Latinos looking for older men (and vice versa).
Bachelors II: A piano restaurant and a cruise bar on Coral Way between S.W. 28th and 29th Avenues.
The Hamlet: A daytime or early evening gay hangout on Main Highway in Coconut Grove.
The Tony Candlelight Club: A members’ only restaurant and lounge in Coconut Grove. Wealth was a requirement for membership but others can attend as a guest. Later, in 1976, it became the place of the early meetings of the Dade County Coalition for the Humanistic Rights of Gays.
The Rack and Ramrod: (later known as the Double R) were Downtown Miami’s Levi-leather bars.
Mayflower Lounge and Basin Street were two small gay bars on Alton Road.
Keith’s Cruise Room in Hallandale, Tee Jay’s in Hollywood, and Tacky’s and Venture Inn in Fort Lauderdale were a few of Broward’s small gay bars.
