The Copper Club on Douglas Street opened for business on February 10th, the same day The Ledge, a competing gay bar on Government Street, welcomed patrons for the first time. Photo © VibrantVictoria.ca.

Victoria’s gay bar scene tripled in size this week with the opening of two new clubs, the Copper Club at Douglas and Chatham streets, and The Ledge at the Bedford Regency Hotel on Government Street.  And that, according to a VibrantVictoria.ca forum member, might be construed as the start of a “gay bar war.”

While the sudden tripling of gay-friendly establishments in downtown Victoria is a surprise to some, it’s long overdue according to George Dowse, co-owner of the Copper Club which re-opened the empty lounge space atop the copper clad Paul’s Restaurant, but he doesn’t feel it’s a battle of any sort.

“We’re all friends, and we all promote each others businesses,” Dowse said, referring to Terry Jacques’ The Ledge opening the same day his club greeted patrons for the first time. “Victoria is big enough to support several bars aimed at the gay community, and what we’re doing with the Copper Club is providing a unique space for gay men, but not exclusive to gay men, where patrons can come together to not only dance but be in an environment where they can carry on a conversation,” he added.

The Copper Club’s layout splits the crowd into those who want to have a drink and a chat and those who may want to dance and enjoy the music.  And that type of establishment is exactly what Dowse feels has been missing in Victoria.

“We have room for people who do not necessarily want to dance or be inundated with loud music.  There is no place in Victoria for gay men to get together in a comfortable setting.  The only gay friendly place available can be too loud because it’s a club, and it attracts a mix of clientele which affects the atmosphere,” Dowse said, referring to Paparazzi’s night club (previously called Prism) ambiance in the evenings and it’s transformation from a gay bar to a more mainstream establishment.

Gary Penny, Dowse’s business partner and lifetime gay rights pioneer, operated Prism at Johnson and Broad streets for over ten years.  And when he sold the club in 2007 under the provision that it remain a club catering to the city’s gay community, he expected the new owner to honour that expectation.

“Prism turned into a regular club after I sold it.  The flags came down, and that was disappointing because the owner assured me it would remain as it was,” Penny said.  So a year after the anti-competition agreement ended, he felt the time was right to step out of retirement at the age of 67 and plunge into a new venture.

“We’ve opened a venue that we know people have been waiting for,” said Penny.  And he’s probably right.  For a city of over 350,000, one gay-friendly nightclub is hardly reflective of the expectations of a region with a sizable gay community that is looking for more than opportunities to go clubbing.

Dowse and Penny stress, however, that because the Copper Club is being marketed as a gay club that doesn’t equate to it being discriminatory towards heterosexuals or lesbians.  “It’s not a bar for only gay men.  It’s a bar where we want gay men to feel comfortable, to be a place where they can come and express themselves without having to feel like they are stepping over boundaries.  Does that mean we don’t want to see other clientele here?  Of course not,” Dowse said.

Asked about the future of gay-friendly establishments in the city, the duo feels there are plenty of opportunities for more digs in town.  In fact, the Copper Club is only the beginning.  “We’re in talks about opening another gay friendly establishment, and let’s just say it will be a stones throw from downtown, not too far from the Copper Club,” Dowse said.

While the pair is tight lipped on the exact location of their second establishment, it promises to build on the momentum that the Copper Club and The Ledge will create and not, as some may see it, lead to a shakedown among businesses.

To discuss the Copper Club on the VibrantVictoria.ca discussion forum, click here.

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