New Eagle owners Alex Montiel and Mike Leon discussed their plans for the landmark gay bar at a meeting last Thursday night organized by Folsom Street Events. Despite inheriting a throughly trashed facility and facing the usual difficulties dealing with the city’s building code bureaucracy, they’re hoping to be in business before the New Years holiday weekend.
According to the Bay Area Reporter, they paid “well over” $250,000 for the lease. That figure includes the security deposit, first and last month’s rent, purchasing a liquor license and other costs.
Demetri Moshoyannis, Executive Director of the nonprofit that stages the annual Up Your Alley and Folsom Street Fairs, asked a crowd of leather community members to “think about how you can contribute as part of the solution, part of the effort to revitalize the bars and businesses in our beloved community.”
The Lone Star Saloon was probably the greatest beneficiary of the Eagle Tavern’s closure and the new Beat Box, which was just getting established on 11th Street at about the time the Eagle was closing, will have to fight to hold onto the crowds they’ve enjoyed ever since then. Moshoyannis argues that if the “Folsom Street bars” just work together to support the new owners everyone stands to benefit by reinforcing the image that the South of Market neighborhood is a great destination to come to for a good time.
Jim Meko, chair
SoMa Leadership Council
soma leadership council 