Cheer Up Charlies seeks to evolve, joins crowdfunding platform amid challenges

Local LGBTQ+ bar Cheer Up Charlies plans to evolve its business model and have launched an account on the fundraising platform Patreon in response to economic pressures.

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Local LGBTQ+ bar Cheer Up Charlies plans to evolve its business model and have launched an account on the fundraising platform Patreon in response to economic pressures.

Maggie Lea, who co-owns the bar with Tamara Hoover, said that those pressures connect to the bar's location and the public's tightening budgets.

"For a bar on Red River Street... it's never been really heavy on day foot traffic. When you're on a venue block, you know venues only open for nighttime shows that are ticketed, and then they close right after," Lea said.

The bar is located in the Red River Cultural District, near music venues Mohawk Austin and Stubb's BBQ. Lea said that their bar holds its own ticketed events, but also has extended hours to try and attract concert attendees.

"We do that because we want the street to flourish as a whole," Lea said "On Red River, most of us make our money during only a few hours, like two to three bulk hours. That works fine when like the nightclub scene is really thriving, and people want to come out and [their] entertainment budget isn't being cut."

However, Lea perceives a shift in the public's spending — tighter budgets on entertainment and going out. This has led to a major drop off in walk-up traffic at Cheer Up Charlies, she said.

To increase revenue, the bar launched an account on the fundraising website Patreon in December, where 120 subscribers donate a combined $1,602 per month (at the time of writing). This, Lea said, has allowed ex-Austinites and older residents to continue to support a local business they don't frequent anymore.

"We had an overwhelming response from folks saying that they want to support, but they don't really want to come out to every single dance night or every single live music night, which is understandable," Lea said.

The additional funds are a short term benefit, but the owners have larger plans in mind.

In its "The Planet" era?

An Instagram post from the Cheer Up Charlies account teases an addition of daytime coffee and espresso service to the bar, an announcement that drew positive response from users on the social media site.

It also drew comparisons to "The Planet," a fictional bar from the TV show "The L Word."

"I actually love coffee more than I love nightlife. I love the buzz and all that with nightlife, but I honestly drink a lot of coffee during the day, so I'm actually really excited." Lea said. "We are trying to shift to that. I've hired a few folks and they we are working on getting coffee during the day."

The bar features a large outdoor space around its building. Lea said that she hopes they can turn that space into a co-working space, alluding to coffee shops such as Cosmic Coffee + Beer Garden and Radio Coffee & Beer.

"I personally feel that Red River has always needed a coffee shop. I say that because there's just a lot of hotels around here; folks wake up in the morning and walk down here," Lea said. "They actually come to Cheer Ups and like 'are you guys open right now? We want coffee."

Nicole Klepadlo, interim executive director for the non-profit Red River Cultural District, told KXAN on January 5 that she applauds the owners for the move.

"We collectively, as a community, have talked a lot about what does evolution look like for the Red River cultural district. I really commend Cheer Up Charlies for thinking outside the box and thinking about ways to bring new audiences or new patrons," Klepadlo said.

Lea said that the bar is planning to cover its stage area in order to attract touring musical acts, which require weather protection for expensive gear.

Being a 'queer space'

Cheer Up Charlies, while one of several LGBTQ+ bars in the city, is a space that de-centers cisgender gay men. As such a space, it is seen as a space place for the city's community of lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.

That distinction is important for Lea — a home for her people.

"One of our goals is actually to empower queer individuals in the community, queer artists and entertainers, and also even our patrons, to take ownership of their queerness, their expressions and their freedom to do so," Lea said. "So much of being in the queer community is learning how to sustain ourselves."

Business ownership provides stability and infrastructure for a community. It also keeps money moving within that community.

"What I care about the most is for folks to be able to stand up on their own two feet, speak for themselves and be out there. We really want folks to be successful," Lea said. "We also love to see folks come here, be creative, and then go out and create something of their own."

"I think Cheer Ups is like a seed story place where people say, 'my first time I did this was there, my first performance or I didn't know where else to go when I moved here, and I went to Cheer Ups.' Hopefully, they build stories on top of that that don't necessarily relate to us."

Maggie Lea