After seven years, a downtown Louisville bar for the LGBT community, closed last week.
Tia Coatley remembers well the first time that she walked into Starbase Q. Tia, an event planner, says "my mind was going in circles thinking of all the wonderful events that could take place in such a venue."
Tia came to find that not a lot of women were hosting events at Starbase Q. She pitched an idea to owner Brian Travis, and Lyrically Spoken, a spoken word even hosted by Lipstick Lez Entertainment, was born. Numerous Lyrically Spoken events were held at the bar, and Tia remembers Brian even joined in the reading a few times. "Brian is an amazing writer," she says. "I hope he continues to share his talent with the world."
Bar patron Dennis Blake has fond memories as well. He started going to Starbase Q about three years ago, but it quickly became his favorite. "It has a special place in my heart for several reasons," Dennis reflects. "The bartenders were always so friendly and knew just what I wanted. The atmosphere was conducive to good fun and conversation." Dennis was at the bar the night it closed, and lost his last game of pool there.
Brian Travis says that he constantly gets asked why he named the bar Starbase Q. "The 'Q' was very important. 'LGBT' wouldn't fit on the front of the building," he laughs. "It was a place for everyone."
