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In the 40 or so years Norman Jones has been operating Discovery Night Club, he said the venue has typically only closed about one weekend per year.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the bar, which caters to the LGBTQ community, has now been closed for almost an entire year, save for a few weeks during a brief reopening.
Discovery’s closure and that of another LGBTQ bar in Little Rock, Club Sway, have not just forced owners to come up with creative ways to keep their businesses afloat but have also led drag queens to reinvent their performances, too.
“It's just very different than what we've been doing for years — you get in such a space of, everybody's together and there's like this party atmosphere,” performer Hairy-Kate Olsen said. ”And then, transitioning to digital spaces, it's a whole different ball game.”
Discovery and Sway were shut down in March due to the pandemic, alongside all other bars in the state.
At this early stage of the pandemic, Olsen, whose given name is Cody Dunbar, said like many artists, drag queens were regularly performing virtually to decent audiences and tips. However, interest in online performances declined as the pandemic continued, Olsen said.
The governor permitted bars to reopen in the summer, but Sway’s owner and operator Jason Wiest said he has not opened the club’s doors.
He said safety is a concern, especially because Sway is a small venue without much room for social distancing.
The lasting effects of another virus, HIV, and the memories of the thousands it killed in the LGBTQ community made Wiest feel particularly cautious when the governor allowed bars to reopen over the summer.
“Just given our community's history, I felt that it was irresponsible for us to reopen at a point in time when this is still a mysterious virus and there's a lot of questions about it, and it was spreading more and more,” Wiest said.
Jones said Discovery waited until the fall to reopen, but that only lasted a few weeks before the governor issued an 11 p.m. curfew for alcohol-serving establishments.
However, both venues have found new ways to keep some level of performances going amid the changing guidance.
Sway was in the middle of a monthly competition when everything shut down in March, so Wiest said the show continued online and a winner was crowned, just the same as every year.
The venue also produced a video for its annual holiday show, Homo for the Holidays.
“When we were discussing that I said, ‘Jason we have to do this.’” Olsen said. The queen said she didn’t know if they would be able to monetize the event, but "at least at this dark time and this dark moment, we would be putting joy out into the world.”
Discovery has explored a new kind of event that allows the bar to remain open while respecting the governor’s guidelines: drag brunches.
Jones said the first trials were moderately successful, with catered food, plenty of space and Department of Health guidelines respected.
On Jan. 24, the venue will offer its first all-ages drag brunch, though alcohol will still be served.
“The (performers) need to work,” Jones said. “And we need to try to keep the business open to keep some kind of income coming in here.”
Wiest said he has no plans to reopen Sway any time soon, but he hopes to work with performers to create more virtual shows. He also hopes to find sponsors for such endeavors, to help bring income to the club.
Sway is accepting donations as well.
The owners of each bar said their businesses have not received much monetary aid from the state, though they’re hoping more help may become available soon.
Gianna Colucci, a queen who performs at both clubs, said she gets anxious about the future of the bars — she said they “are like my second home” — and Olsen said she does, too.
“It's a scary concept — I do worry about the club reopening and being able to land on its feet,” Olsen said. “But hopefully with a new president coming in maybe there'll be better leadership coming out to help us navigate what's to come.”
Colucci, whose given name is Jordy Vazquez, said the pandemic has brought at least a few positives for her, though, including connecting with queens across the country via online performances and bringing drag to an accessible medium for those who may not frequent LGBTQ-oriented bars.
“I've gotten messages from people from Dallas, people from Oklahoma, from Chicago that were like, ‘Oh my god, whenever this pandemic is finished, we can hopefully get you over here and perform,’” Colucci said. “It opened more doors, even though the whole pandemic was happening. It gave us new ways to bring drag out to the public.”