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Gym Sportsbar and Grill WeHo Celebrates Official Grand Re-Opening
Photo by Jon D'Amico, @jonnydam - owner and guide of Rock 'n Walk Tours of The Sunset Strip
Gym Sportsbar and Grill WeHo officially opened at their new location at 8919 Santa Monica Boulevard on September 17, 2021, but the bar officially celebrated their grand re-opening with a party this evening, November 5, 2021 starting at 6 p.m.
The Los Angeles Rams cheerleaders and their mascot, Rampage were on hand for the celebration along with West Hollywood Mayor Lauren Meister, Council member Lindsey Horvath and council member John Erickson. Mayor Meister presented Gym Sportsbar and Grill WeHo with a proclamation in honor of their grand re-opening. Other special guests included The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.
Photo by Dan Mryglot for WEHO TIMES
The bar received the red ribbon-cutting ceremony treatment from the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce to welcome them to their new home at WeHo's LGBT Rainbow District.
Photo by Jon D'Amico, @jonnydam – owner and guide of Rock 'n Walk Tours of The Sunset Strip
In celebration of the grand re-opening, the sportsbar re-introduced their popular 2-4-1 Happy Hour, which began at 3pm today. The night also featured specialty drinks, The Marsha and The Sylvia, to honor the pioneering LGBTQIA+ advocates, Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. And they held a raffle to benefit ProjectQ, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing a safe space for LGBTQIA+ youth. Prizes included tickets to the Rams game on November 7th.
New Gym Sportsbar and Grill WeHo was one of the first gay bars to close on Santa Monica Boulevard due to COVID-19 pandemic last year. It's also the only bar to re-open at a new location after everyone believed it had been lost for good.
The bar hosted a VIP reception on Wednesday, September 13th for friends and family to taste test their new menu on Wednesday, before they opened to the general public on Thursday night at 9pm.
Gym Sportsbar and Grill Will now has a more open and spacious space than its previous home and an open patio on the boulevard. The motif is a clear nod to the original Gym Bar that was located just up the street. There is a wall full of logos representing various sports teams, screen TVs behind the bar, which will make great viewing parties for major sports event, and it is set to accommodate a large crowd after a game.
The original Gym Bar celebrated 10 years at 8737 Santa Monica Boulevard in 2019, home to former lesbian bar Normandie Room. In July, 2020, the bars owners announced that it was closing for good after being shut down for four months due to COVID. It would become the first of four gay bars in West Hollywood to close on Santa Monica Boulevard. Flaming Saddles, The Gold Coast and then Rage all lost their leases during the pandemic.
In January 2021, the gay sports bar announced it was getting a second chance at life in West Hollywood on the corner of Hilldale Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard. It is the only shuttered bar in WeHo that has gotten a new lease on life on Santa Monica Boulevard thus far.
Gym Sportsbar and Grill
WeHo Chamber
West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce
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