I loved the Old Plantaion with the balcony. The music was great and the Mexican boy’s danced with me. They didn’t care if you were male or female , they just wanted to boogie. If you were gay and stationed at Ft. Bliss, that was the go to place to hook up with your fellow members openly.
Thanks for this article...it brought back memories. When I started going to the Pet Shop in 1974, it was located exactly where you mentioned at 207 E. San Antonio Street in the middle of downtown before it moved eastward to where the Mining Co eventually opened. You had to walk downstairs where you were greeted by an amazing dancefloor with lights flashing.
Thanks for your comment. You made me think about where I got the original information regarding The Pet Shop and it's first location.
In an article from the November, 2001 edition of a long gone gay monthly 'zine called The T Magazine, Izzy Mora quotes Gilbert Salazar, "What eventually became the OP, started out as a little bar called The Pet Shop. It was located downtown underneath Chico's Bar. The bar began to get so packed that they relocated to the building that is now The San Antonio Mining Company, another longtime gay establishment. People used to pay a dollar to get in on Fridays and Saturdays. The Pet Shop had no DJ at the time. Local radio personality, Steve Crosno, would bring in his discotheque to provide dance music."
Chico's bar was located at 207 E. San Antonio on the first floor, a fact I was able to confirm from a photo of the original Chico's sign on flickr.com.
Back in the day of these bars, I don't recall what it was called or if the area had a name. However, all the bars were more or less centered around Ochoa Street between Paisano and E. San Antonio. Now, they call the block on Stanton where most bar are "Pride Square."
Hi, thanks for your comment. I don't have anything like that, but I have photos of posters, etc from the inside of the Diamond Lil. You can have a look at the Instagram account I've set up to show some of these photos.
I loved the Old Plantaion with the balcony. The music was great and the Mexican boy’s danced with me. They didn’t care if you were male or female , they just wanted to boogie. If you were gay and stationed at Ft. Bliss, that was the go to place to hook up with your fellow members openly.
Thanks for this article...it brought back memories. When I started going to the Pet Shop in 1974, it was located exactly where you mentioned at 207 E. San Antonio Street in the middle of downtown before it moved eastward to where the Mining Co eventually opened. You had to walk downstairs where you were greeted by an amazing dancefloor with lights flashing.
Thanks for your comment. You made me think about where I got the original information regarding The Pet Shop and it's first location.
In an article from the November, 2001 edition of a long gone gay monthly 'zine called The T Magazine, Izzy Mora quotes Gilbert Salazar, "What eventually became the OP, started out as a little bar called The Pet Shop. It was located downtown underneath Chico's Bar. The bar began to get so packed that they relocated to the building that is now The San Antonio Mining Company, another longtime gay establishment. People used to pay a dollar to get in on Fridays and Saturdays. The Pet Shop had no DJ at the time. Local radio personality, Steve Crosno, would bring in his discotheque to provide dance music."
Chico's bar was located at 207 E. San Antonio on the first floor, a fact I was able to confirm from a photo of the original Chico's sign on flickr.com.
hiii i have a question. what is el paso's gayborhood called?
Back in the day of these bars, I don't recall what it was called or if the area had a name. However, all the bars were more or less centered around Ochoa Street between Paisano and E. San Antonio. Now, they call the block on Stanton where most bar are "Pride Square."
What interesting history. It makes me want to get to know el Paso and Juárez !
Hi, thanks for your comment. I don't have anything like that, but I have photos of posters, etc from the inside of the Diamond Lil. You can have a look at the Instagram account I've set up to show some of these photos.
https://www.instagram.com/diamondlilclubelpaso/