For 13 years, Bounce Nightclub (2814 Detroit Ave., 216-357-2997, bouncecleveland.com) was the place to go for Cleveland’s LGBT community and those who loved partying with them. The dance club/restaurant/cabaret on the edge of Ohio City hosted campy drag shows, raging dance parties, and chill weeknights filled with friends and neighbors.
All that is slated to come to end on January 4th, 2015, when the club is scheduled to close.
“The time has come, the Walrus said,” replied Bounce General Manager Stephen Mayse. “It’s unfortunate, but it’s true.”
Ironically, Bounce’s dire situation very likely is a result of a much more open and accepting community, one where gay people are welcome to party anywhere they’d like.
“I feel what with everybody being welcome at every bar, it opens up a world of other places to go,” says Mayse. “You no longer have to go to just the gay bars. Drag queens are performing at regular bars. I do feel like that was part of the problem.”
There still is a glimmer of hope for Bounce, adds Mayse.
“We’ve been approached by a few people who say they’d like to keep it going,” he says. “Someone could step in very easily and take it over. It’s not done til it’s done.”
He says that both the business and the building are for sale.
Until then, make a point of supporting Bounce until the last drag queen sings.
This article appears in Dec 17-23, 2014.
I’m just wondering how Bounce can be seen as a “pioneer.” Many gay clubs existed long before Bounce came along, and will exist long after it’s gone.
@Jim, it could have been the most prominent, the biggest, the most inclusive, the best, the most diverse, the most important… someone doesn’t have to be first to be a pioneer. Just ask Christopher Columbus and Shakespeare.
As a veteran of 34 years and an openly gay man who has lived in Cleveland for most of my life and previous worker for the Grid night club for three years plus… Bars come and go in any community. Sometimes it’s due to charging outrageous covers and getting nothing in return like a free drink ticket or a sense of feeling valued as a customer…or sometimes it’s just not fun anymore due to mass amount of staff changes. Or there are disagreements with owner(s) and management of the establishment. But our community should never be defined as a “bar”, we are so much more within the community. Yes its sad and unfortunate Bounce is closing, however, I’ve seen so many outstanding clubs close over the years who truly were pioneers to the community…and yet I still look forward to the joy and anticipation of someone who steps up and opens a club. Besides, I always felt I make my own party and music whenever and wherever I am. Best of luck to every employee at Bounce!
Cleveland in the late 70’s and early 80’s saw huge gay dance clubs – Chapter 2, Traxx and Dimensions. Although Bounce was a nice club it paled in comparison to the gay clubs of downtown’s past.
I’d like to know who the author and how old he/she is. Though I do love and miss Bounce, the club was not a pioneer. A big player yes, being out in the scene 20 years now, I’ve seen bigger pioneers and players come and go. And rest assured there will be a new gay dance club, just a matter of time!
Restrooms were always nasty. That stopped me from patronizing them.
While it’s true that the community is more accepting of gay people and hanging out in most establishments doesn’t pose the threat that it once did, it’s also true that Bounce was too expensive and attracted a young crowd. I’m not going to pay a cover charge to get a few overpriced drinks and watch some sloppy Tweens make out on the dance floor.
my partner and I are new to Cleveland. we love the go out and dance on the weekends, and bounds was a safe and fun location. Any recommendation for other gay friendly venues where we could go out dancing?
my partner and I are new to Cleveland. we love the go out and dance on the weekends, and bounce was a safe and fun location. Any recommendation for other gay friendly venues where we could go out dancing?
yes myself being out for the last 20 years I’ve went to the grade when they were open when to the new grid and when bounced over and I went and had plenty of good times lots and lots of fun but lots of my straight friends gay friends to the club but the bathrooms were always nasty then you had to pay a cover charge to pay for some overpriced drinks I once ordered a beer and a shot of Jager Bomb and it was like $15 I refused it and didn’t buy anything and yeah I think having the community open to a bigger acceptance of gay communities klife and gay people feel more comfortable going out and partying wherever they want but there is still nothing better than going to a strictly gay club where you know everyone is acceptance sorry to hear that it will be closing
I mostly stopped going because the bathrooms were always nasty you had to pay a cover charge and the prices were WAY overpriced but it was good to have a lot of good times there I would usually drink before I got there so I did not have to pay such high ridiculous prices
Even though the drinks were overpriced I did enjoy there Sunday brunches when they had them and their show tune Sundays……
Annmarie, I totally agree. The women’s restroom was plagued by condoms in the toilet!
One last drug laden gay venue goes down the tube. Thank God. The few times I was drug there for a drink you needed a snow blower to get through the restroom due to the amount of meth around. ‘Diversity’ does not include acceptance of illegal activity. Stop blaming gentrification for its failure. The reason it went down the tubes is that it was poorly managed, and they did nothing to attract gay millenniums or those with the bucks. Too much space, too much attitude, overpriced, no security, and needed to realise that ‘drag’ is largely over in the gay community. Give us a clean, safe, intimate place to meet and talk they will come. I think the owner of ‘twist’ saw the writing on the wall and made a right move, ( and for the record I rarely go there) especially with their location. With the change in social attitude toward the community you are going to need A LOT to compete with non gay bars. Food and Beverage is a losing proposition ant any level of clientele. The odds of having a F & B be truly successful is almost none. ‘Successful’ doesn’t mean a packed house, successful is a positive bottom line.
My buddy in Toronto says ‘Why go out? I can be gay anywhere…’