Starky's Restaurant and Bar, or simply Starky's (sometimes stylized as Starkys), was a

gay bar A gay bar is a Bar (establishment), drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ+) clientele; the term ''gay'' is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBTQ+ communi ...

and

restaurant A restaurant is an establishment that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and Delivery (commerce), food delivery services. Restaurants ...

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

's Kerns neighborhood, in the United States. Established in 1984, the venue became a fixture in Portland's gay community before closing in 2015. It hosted

LGBTQ LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, Gay men, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning (sexuality and gender), questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, Asexuality, asexual, ...

events and served as a gathering space for

leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning (leather), tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffal ...

enthusiasts and the Oregon Bears, among other groups. Starky's received a generally positive reception and was most known for its

Bloody Mary #REDIRECT Bloody Mary {{redirect category shell, {{R ambig{{R from other capitalisation{{R unprintworthy ...

brunch Brunch is a meal, often accompanied by "signature morning cocktails" such as mimosas, bloody marys, espresso martinis, and bellinis, taken sometime in the late morning or early afternoon – the universally accepted time is 11am-2pm, though mod ...

, and outdoor seating.

Description and history

Starky's, located at 2913 Southeast

Stark Street Stark Street, formerly known as Baseline Road, is an east-west-running street in Portland, Oregon, in the United States. The street is named after Benjamin Stark, and is divided as Southeast Stark Street and Southwest Stark Street by the Willame ...

, was a gay bar and restaurant in Portland's Kerns neighborhood. It was established in 1984 and housed in a building that was constructed in 1935. Starky's was known for its patio and outdoor seating, in addition to serving

American cuisine American cuisine consists of the cooking style and traditional dishes prepared in the United States. It has been significantly influenced by Europeans, Indigenous Americans, Africans, Latin Americans, Asians, Pacific Islanders, and many other ...

, including burgers and steak. Joe Waldroff and Greg Simshaw purchased the bar in September 2004. In 2015, ''

Willamette Week ''Willamette Week'' (''WW'') is an alternative weekly newspaper and a website published in Portland, Oregon, United States, since 1974. It features reports on local news, politics, sports, business, and culture. History Early history '' ...

'' described the establishment as a "patioed mountain chalet with homestyle food that seems as domestic as Grandpa's house, with busy Thursday karaoke, 'bottomless' mimosas at its essential Sunday brunch, and a charmingly dirty-avuncular bartender who seems to have an answer for everything". Following its closure, the newspaper's Matthew Korfage called Starky's a "little mountain chalet" and "friendly little neighborhood bar catering to longtime regulars in the gay community with raucous karaoke, home-style food and a Sunday brunch that offered up bottomless cheap-bubbly mimosas unless you misbehaved". Beginning in late 2014, Waldroff and Simshaw listed the building and business for sale intermittently, and sold Starky's for $1.2 million in March 2015. The duo planned to retire and expressed a willingness to sell the rights to the name and business. The bar and restaurant closed on September 13, 2015, after operating for 28 years. The building that housed Starky's was demolished during November–December 2015, and was replaced by a three-story apartment building.

Events

Starky's was a longtime fixture in Portland's gay community. It served as a gathering space for groups such as Blackout Leather Productions, a nonprofit organization and volunteer group of

enthusiasts in Oregon and southwest Washington, and the Oregon Bears. Historically, Starky's sold tickets to

Portland Gay Men's Chorus The Portland Gay Men's Chorus (PGMC) is a gay-identified, non-profit choral group based in Portland, Oregon. The group was founded in the spring of 1980 when three founding members, inspired by a performance of the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus ...

performances and hosted (or was a starting location for)

gay pride In the context of LGBTQ culture, pride (also known as LGBTQ pride, LGBTQIA pride, LGBT pride, queer pride, gay pride, or gay and lesbian pride) is the promotion of the rights, self-affirmation, dignity, Social equality, equality, and increas ...

events. The venue also hosted special events such as: a 2009 celebration and fundraiser to send eight musicians from the Rose City Gay Freedom Band to perform at

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

's inauguration, a 2013 ''

PQ Monthly ''PQ Monthly'' was a free, advertising-supported, monthly LGBTQ newspaper and online publication for Oregon and southwest Washington and, briefly, Seattle, published in Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most po ...

'' press party, Oregon Bears' 2013 car wash fundraiser for Our House and other nonprofits, the Red Dress Party, and "Civic Pride", which was presented by City Club of Portland in June 2014 to commemorate

and LGBT Pride Month. The latter event featured guests from local organizations including:

Basic Rights Oregon Basic Rights Oregon is an American nonprofit LGBT rights organization based in Portland, Oregon. It is the largest advocacy, education, and political organization working in Oregon to end discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender ident ...

, Cascade AIDS Project, Equity Foundation,

GLSEN GLSEN (pronounced ''glisten''; formerly the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network) is an American education organization working to end discrimination, harassment, and bullying based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expres ...

Oregon, Oregon Gay and Lesbian Law Association, Oregon Safe Schools and Communities Coalition,

PFLAG Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) is an LGBTQ advocacy organization founded and led by friends and family of LGBTQ people. PFLAG is a national organization presiding over decentralized local and regional chapters. PFLAG has nearly ...

Portland and the PFLAG Black Chapter, Portland Latino Gay Pride, and Rosetown Ramblers.

Reception

Starky's received a generally positive reception and was most known for its

Bloody Mary #REDIRECT Bloody Mary {{redirect category shell, {{R ambig{{R from other capitalisation{{R unprintworthy ...

, and outdoor seating. In 2013, Jaime Dunkle of the ''

Daily Vanguard ''Portland State Vanguard'', formerly known as the ''Daily Vanguard'' and ''Vet's Extended'', is an independent student newspaper for Portland State University, in Portland, Oregon, United States. Publishing The tabloid format newspaper has a ...

'',

Portland State University Portland State University (PSU) is a public research university in Portland, Oregon, United States. It was founded in 1946 as a post-secondary educational institution for World War II veterans. It evolved into a four-year college over the next ...

student newspaper A student publication is a media outlet such as a newspaper, magazine, television show, or radio station Graduate student journal, produced by students at an educational institution. These publications typically cover local and school-related new ...

, included Starky's as one of the top five gay bars and clubs in the city, writing: In 2014, GoLocalPDX contributor

Byron Beck Byron Beck (born January 25, 1945) is an American former professional basketball player. A 6 foot 9 inch forward/ center from the University of Denver, Beck was one of six players (along with Louie Dampier, Gerald Govan, Bob Netolicky, St ...

included Starky's in his list of Portland's top twelve gay clubs, writing: "Starky's is for those who remember that brunch is best served on Sunday with a Bloody Mary. This true original is more restaurant than bar but that doesn't stop people from coming here for some of the stiffest drinks in town." In 2015, ''Willamette Week'' contributors included Starky's in their list of favorite Portland gay bars.

References

External links

* {{Good article 1984 establishments in Oregon 2015 disestablishments in Oregon Buildings and structures completed in 1935 Buildings and structures demolished in 2015 Defunct LGBTQ drinking establishments in Portland, Oregon Defunct restaurants in Kerns, Portland, Oregon Defunct restaurants in Southeast Portland, Oregon Demolished buildings and structures in Portland, Oregon Restaurants disestablished in 2015 Restaurants established in 1984