Where Everyone Knows Your Name
By William Burleson
Is community only about little non-profit groups?
Certainly they do a lot of the heavy lifting for us, providing opportunities to meet fellow travelers interested in books, gardening, volleyball, bicycling, or BDSM, or simply live south of Lake Street in the St Croix Valley, or in Hinkley.
But it would be wrong to think community only exists when there’s a board of directors meeting somewhere. Take most any coffee house, for example. Anyone who goes to the Blue Moon or Wilde Roast knows there is an important role for businesses in building community. What can’t be forgotten too is that many of these businesses help support some of these little non-profits by giving them a place to meet, a place to hang flyers, and at times buying a program ad, supplying coffee, or whatever.
OK, obvious enough. But what if a business not just hosts the occasional fundraiser, but instead really devotes itself to encouraging and supporting GLBT groups? What if a business owner uses their establishment to really work to build the community? That would be something, wouldn’t it?
“We really want to help advance small non-profits to help the community,” says Sean Fetterman, co-owner of Innuendo, a Downtown St Paul gay bar that is just completed its first year in business.
Yeah, sure. Do they have a softball team or something?
Yes they do. And they host special nights for the bear community, the bi community, and a country night. They host the Imperial Court, Drag Kings, and the Storm Patrol. They help with the Northstar Gay Rodeo Association, Red Ribbon Ride, and the Mayhem rugby team. They offer a country night and one for the One Voice Mixed Choir.
They’re not kidding about the community stuff.
“We have the philosophy that we are truly a home for the community.” Sean doesn’t just wait for groups to come around needing something. He’s been busy. He contacted me because he wanted to know how to get a regularly scheduled bi bar night going, perhaps the first in the country. He told me that he knew people who were bisexual and that they felt isolated, so he wanted to do something to help change that. I’m not kidding: a bar owner called looking to help a community become less isolated. That was a new one on me.
Folks who’ve been around the Twin Cities might remember the name. Innuendo was a more relaxing little bar attached to the large dance club, Rumours (which later became Trixx). Sean and his partner in life and business Jim Fetterman certainly remembered, since they both worked there. After Trixx closed they decided there needed to be a gay bar in Downtown St Paul, and why not bring back this great gathering spot? So they contacted the old owner for her blessing (who now helps out with the new business) and Innuendo was born.
And, I must say, it is a great addition to the bar scene. Gone are the days of painted over windows and dark, seedy, dirty spaces. This place has great windows looking out at Union Depot and is clean and airy. “You’re not hiding behind black walls,” says Jim.
Sean reports that things are “going great.”
“We have the right mix,” says Jim.
“We want anyone who walks in the door to feel special,” adds Sean.
Joseph likes it. He’s sitting at the bar, joking around with the bartender. “When Trixx closed last year, me and other people who went there heard [Innuendo] was opening.”
And now “He’s a fixture,” says Sean. “We get a lot of the old Trixx group.”
“I live downtown, and it helps it’s within walking distance,” adds Joseph. This matters to Sean and Jim, because they are not only passionate about the GLBT community, they are invested in Downtown St Paul: they live on Dayton’s Bluff, not five minutes from the bar.
The next step for Sean and Jim is that they now plan to bring back Rumours early this summer. It’ll be connected to Innuendo, right behind the present space. According to Sean, “It’s going to be more of a dance club.” He adds, “We really wanted to make a place for everyone to go.”
Somehow, I think they’ll have no trouble with that. Warm and inviting are the qualities I look for, and being there for the community makes me want to support them back. For my last question, I asked Sean if there’s anything I should tell people when I write my column. Did he say, “Come to happy hour!” No. Did he say, “Great drink specials!” No. He said, “It’s important that people know they can call us if there having a fund raiser. We want to help them spread the word.” If only more businesses were like Innuendo.
For more information about Innuendo, visit www.rumours-stpaul.com. Questions? Comments? Contact me at my web site, www.forwhomthebilltools.org, and read past stories.