The rumours are not true, legendary Toronto drag bar says it’s not closing
CBC
After years of rumours it would be forced out by a condo development, an iconic Toronto drag bar is setting the record straight.
Crews & Tangos, a staple of the city’s Gay Village for more than 30 years, says it isn’t closing any time soon.
Troy Allan, a co-owner of the bar since last fall, told CBC Toronto he’s committed to keeping a meaningful and safe queer space alive for the community.
"We are not closing until I receive notice that we're closing," he said. "These doors will stay open as long as we can keep them open."
Despite its status as one of the oldest drag bars in the city, Crew & Tangos hasn’t been able to shake rumours that it’s closing for a condo development any day now.
That’s in part because that was the plan at one point.
Graywood Developments owns the building that houses the bar and originally planned a 14-storey redevelopment for the site, promising to restore Crews & Tangos as part of the project.
The city approved that plan in 2022, but Graywood later came back with a proposal for a 48-storey mixed use building instead. That updated plan was met with pushback from the local community and ultimately scrapped.
More recently, Graywood has struck a deal with the bar’s new owners to keep them open at least until the current lease agreement is up in 2029.
The developer is happy to continue working with the new owners, said spokesperson Stefano Toniutti in a statement to CBC Toronto.
"Development plans for this site are still under consideration, and we don’t see any impact to the operation of this space for the foreseeable future," Toniutti said.
That’s fortunate for Allan and the other owners, who have spent the last few months updating and refreshing the space.
"It took a lot of money to get it to where it is now," he said. "We had to completely revamp the stage. ... We revitalized all the spaces with new countertops."
The renovations also include new lights, a fresh coat of paint and a new point-of-sale system, meaning Crews & Tangos now accepts card payments for the first time in its history.
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