The Fab Lounge, a new gay bar in the works since the summer of 2004, is scheduled to open later this month. (Photo by Greg Marzullo)
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GREG MARZULLO
Friday, February 03, 2006
AFTER A BUREAUCRATIC struggle, Frez Teame, the owner of the Fab Lounge, says he is nearly ready to open the gay bar that he tried to launch in the summer of 2004.
"We're trying to have a slow opening in a couple of weeks," says Teame, who is gay. "The grand opening will be done in springtime, so we'll have time to prepare."
The lounge is located at 1805 Connecticut Ave., NW, above the Royal Palace nightclub, a strip club catering to heterosexual clientele. Even though Teame says his club will open sometime in mid-February, there is still work to be done. The lounge's interior has yet to be completed, and the exterior is a work in progress, though a new awning has been hung above the front door heralding the bar's arrival.
The completed facility will consist of two rooms. The lounge itself will be furnished with plush couches in an array of colors, and the area can be sectioned off for private parties. The other side of the club will be more of a traditional bar with the requisite stools and plenty of room for socializing. The entire space will accommodate between 100 and 130 people.
"We want something nice for people to come to after work to have a nice cocktail with light music," says Teame.
TEAME IMMIGRATED TO D.C. from Ethiopia 17 years ago, and he says the first place he went was Dupont Circle. Opening the bar has been a long-held dream of his, and even though some gay Washingtonians see Dupont as passé because of its recent gentrification, Teame says the area is the heart of D.C.'s gay scene.
"We built Dupont circle," Teame says. "We created it, so we have to stay there."
While the city's historically gay district might be Teame's favorite spot in town, the neighborhood residents weren't sure they wanted another bar in the area.
In August of 2004, the Dupont Circle Advisory Neighborhood Commission voted 9-0 to oppose a liquor license for the lounge. In September 2004, the commission members told the Blade they filed their protest with the city's liquor board to put pressure on Teame to sign an agreement with the ANC to adhere to certain restrictions on the bar's operating hours.
"[The Commission] represent[s] the interests of neighborhood residents who often are burdened with excessive noise, trash and traffic congestion caused by a proliferation of nearby bars and nightclubs," Rob Halligan, the commissioner of the neighborhood organization, told the Blade at the time.
Teame's troubles did not end there. In December 2004, Linda Bumbalo, the chief of staff for gay D.C. Councilmember David Catania (I-At-Large), joined the fight to prevent Fab Lounge from opening.
"I'm doing this as a private citizen," said Bumbalo in 2004. "I live across the street [from the Fab Lounge.]"
At the end of that month, Bumbalo withdrew her name as a protester against the bar's opening. She provided no explanation at the time of the withdrawal. Ross Webber, a spokesperson for Catania, said the councilmember did not ask Bumbalo to withdraw her name.
Teame finally gained approval at the end of 2004 from all the involved parties after agreeing to certain restrictions, including closing one hour earlier than required by D.C. law and not having any live music on the premises.
"There were a lot of obstacles," says Teame. "I said, 'I'm not going to quit.' Patience and hard work — all that pays off at the end."
TEAME WILL NEED his patience if, as he says, he wants the D.C. council to consider different options for its newly approved smoking ban.
On Dec. 6, the council approved a smoking ban that would force all bars and nightclubs, with the exception of cigar and hookah bars, to be completely smoke-free by 2007. In early January 2006, the council then approved legislation that would make all of D.C.'s restaurants smoke-free following a 30-day Congressional review.
"I wish the city could come up with a different idea," says Teame. "They could come up with new programs, tax incentives or something."
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