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Crush Bar

Logo
The bar's interior, 2021
Crush BarLocation within Portland, Oregon
Address	1400 Southeast Morrison Street
Location	Portland, Oregon, United States
Coordinates	45°31′02″N 122°39′05″W / 45.51711°N 122.65144°W / 45.51711; -122.65144
Owner	John "Woody" Clarke
Type	Gay bar restaurant
Opened	2001 (2001)
Closed	December 2024
Website
crushbar.com

Crush Bar (sometimes simply Crush) is a gay bar and restaurant in Portland, Oregon's Buckman neighborhood, in the United States. Established in 2001, the bar was scheduled to permanently close at the end of 2023, until an employee's investment kept Crush open into 2024. The bar is slated to close permanently in late 2024.

Description

Crush Bar is a gay bar in southeast Portland's Buckman neighborhood. Willamette Week's Lizzy Acker described Crush as "a welcoming neighborhood gay bar for everyone". She wrote, "if you can't find something you like, either sidled up to the bar chatting up the bartenders, in the back watching a burlesque show, playing video poker off to the side, or outside on the sidewalk smoking cigarettes and making new friends, well, that's on you... Crush is not populated by cool girls and boys, staring at their phones trying to impress everyone with their boredom. If you want that, your options are endless. But if you're looking for a place to dance till you're naked or sing along with strangers, this is your spot." The newspaper's Aaron Spencer described the bar's atmosphere as "loungey, with bottle art and mood lighting, but unpretentious.

Crush's logo features images of two men holding hands, a woman and a man holding hands, and two women holding hands. The bar has unisex public toilets, as of 2014. In his 2019 "overview of Portland's LGBTQ+ nightlife for the newcomer", Andrew Jankowski of the Portland Mercury wrote: "Crush is among Portland’s coziest, most queer-friendly bars, and is presently Southeast Portland’s only LGBTQ+ bar. Crush offers a foodie-friendly menu, crafted cocktails, sidewalk patio, burlesque-drag revues, stand-up comedy shows, nonbinary concerts, and pants-free dance parties."

History

Crush Bar was established in 2001. The bar was owned by John "Woody" Clarke. It hosted the monthly event Bi Bar, as of 2014.

On March 17, 2020, Crush Bar was forced to close due to the Oregon Governor's mandate for the COVID-19 pandemic. Clarke terminated all 27 employees and refused to pay out any form of compensation. The bar's union, Crush Bar Workers Collective (CBWC), staged a sit-in to demand compensation for "accrued sick time pay off, half-time pay for our scheduled hours one week out, and guarantee rehires when the bar reopens". The owner denied these requests and contacted law enforcement to have the union members removed. Two days later the owner backtracked their claim and agreed to compensate the employees for their sick leave.

Crush Bar was scheduled to close at the end of 2023. However, an employee's investment in the bar kept Crush opened into 2024, and Clarke no longer oversees business operations. In December 2024, the business announced plans to close permanently by the end of the year.

Reception

Crush has been recognized multiple times by Willamette Week's annual readers' poll. The bar was named "Best LGBT Bar" in 2015, and "Best LGBT Bar" and runner-up in the "Best Drag Show" category in 2016. Crush was named the city's best bar in 2017, and "Best LGBTQ Bar" and runner-up in the "Best Happy Hour" category in 2018. Crush Bar won in the "Best LGBTQ Bar" category in 2020.

References

1. ^ Acker, Lizzy (May 10, 2016). "Crush Bar". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on January 6, 2019. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
2. ^ Spencer, Aaron (April 8, 2014). "Bar Guide 2014: Crush Bar". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on January 6, 2019. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
3. Jankowski, Andrew (June 6, 2019). "An Overview of Portland's LGBTQ+ Nightlife for the Newcomer". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on June 9, 2019. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
4. ^ Jankowski, Andrew (2023-12-04). "Longstanding LGBTQ+ Lounge Crush Bar Will Close After More Than 20 Years Open". Eater Portland. Retrieved 2023-12-04.
5. Frane, Alex (March 17, 2020). "Crush Bar Employees Staged Sit-In After Mass Layoffs [Updated]". Eater Portland. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
6. Jankowski, Andrew (2023-12-12). "Long-Standing LGBTQ Bar Crush Will Remain Open After All". Eater Portland. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
7. Roland, Rebecca (2024-12-02). "Portland Is in the Midst of a Barmageddon". Eater Portland. Retrieved 2024-12-03.
8. "Best of Portland Readers' Poll". Willamette Week. July 14, 2015. Archived from the original on January 6, 2019. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
9. "Best of Portland Reader's Poll 2016: The Complete List of Winners". Willamette Week. July 18, 2016. Archived from the original on January 6, 2019. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
10. Kilts, Alie (July 12, 2017). "Here are the Winners of the Best of Portland Readers' Poll 2017". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on January 6, 2019. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
11. "Here are the Winners of the Best of Portland Readers' Poll 2018". Willamette Week. July 10, 2018. Archived from the original on January 6, 2019. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
12. "Bars + Nightlife: Congratulations to the winners + finalists of Best of Portland Readers' Poll 2020". Willamette Week. July 21, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2020.

External links

• Official website
• Crush Bar at Frommer's
• Crush at The Portland Mercury

• 2001 establishments in Oregon
• 2024 disestablishments in Oregon
• LGBTQ drinking establishments in Portland, Oregon
• Restaurants disestablished in 2024
• Restaurants established in 2001
• Restaurants in Buckman, Portland, Oregon