After
a
protracted
effort
to
win
a
liquor
license
that
pitted
members
of
a
nearby
church
against
gay
entrepreneurs
in
the
Shaw
neighborhood,
BeBar
plans
to
open
its
doors
to
the
public
on
Sept.
1.
“We
don’t
have
any
more
barriers,”
says
co-owner
Tom
McGuire.
“We’re
very
excited.
It’s
been
a
big
battle.”
After
hearing
word
of
the
proposed
bar
in
March,
members
of
scripture
Cathedral,
a
church
just
around
the
corner
from
BeBar,
protested
the
bar’s
pursuit
of
a
liquor
license,
claiming
that
the
bar
would
be
disruptive
to
the
neighborhood.
BeBar
is
at
1318
9th
St.,
NW,
between
N
and
O
streets.
On
Aug.
16,
however,
D.C.’s
Alcoholic
Beverage
Control
board
issued
an
official
written
ruling
approving
BeBar’s
liquor
license.
Although
they
are
pleased
with
the
situation,
BeBar’s
owners
are
also
cautious.
“It’s
one
of
those
situations
where
you
never
invest
too
much
in
any
one
piece
of
information,
but
rather
the
culmination
of
everything,
which
will
be
Aug.
31
at
the
grand
opening,”
says
co-owner
Mike
Watson.
The
event
on
Aug.
31
will
be
private — the
bar
opens
to
the
general
public
on
Sept.
1.
“It’s
a
preview
to
our
Friday
night
event
and
for
that
we
have
another
amazing
night
planned
with
a
number
of
major
corporate
sponsors,”
Watson
says.
“It’s
going
to
be
a
lot
of
fun.
There
are
so
many
people
who
are
excited
about
our
event.”
EACH
NIGHT
OF
THE
WEEK
BeBar
has
a
musical
theme
it
plans
to
promote.
Mondays
will
feature
musical
numbers,
Tuesdays
bring
indie
music,
Wednesdays
will
be
electronica,
Thursdays
will
show
pop
videos,
Friday
nights
will
feature
music
from
the
‘80s
and
’90s,
Saturdays
will
be
top
40
dance
beats
and
Sundays
will
play
old
and
new
hits.
“We’re
catered
toward
a
mixed
crowd.
We
don’t
want
to
limit
ourselves,
but
we
do
feel
that
our
primary
demographic
will
be
gay
men,”
Watson
says.
Tuesday
nights,
which
will
feature
underground
music,
however,
should
bring
a
different
crowd
to
the
bar,
according
to
Watson.
“Our
indie
night
is
going
to
feature
a
very
mixed
crowd
of
gay
and
straight.”
Watson
says.
BeBar
features
one
45-foot
long
bar,
a
small
dance
floor
and
a
“glow
wall,”
an
eight-foot
by
12-foot
video
and
light
wall.
“It’s
just
a
wall
of
light
that
pulsates
all
sorts
of
different
colors,”
McGuire
says,
adding
that
the
wall
is
one
of
his
favorite
design
aspects
of
the
bar.
Watson
fused
several
design
elements
to
create
BeBar’s
atmosphere.
“It’s
hotel
chic,”
Watson
says.
“It’s
warm
and
simple
and
the
design
is
really
a
collision
of
influence
from
mid-century
modern
to
baroque.”
ALTHOUGH
BEBAR
INTENDS
to
be
a
neighborhood
bar,
Watson
says
he
hopes
its
impact
will
be
atypical.
“Ultimately,
we
just
want
to
change
what
people
expect,”
Watson
says.
“We
want
to
elevate
the
expectation
of
the
type
of
venue
that
people
deserve.
We
are
working
to
blur
the
distinction
between
a
neighborhood
bar
and
an
urban
nightclub
by
taking
the
best
from
each
to
create
a
new
genre
of
lounge.”
Along
with
his
new
genre
of
lounge,
Watson
says
he
hopes
to
see
a
new
genre
of
customer.
“When
you
come
here,
you
should
look
the
part,”
Watson
says.
“Take
it
seriously.
We
encourage
people
to
have
fun
and
play
with
fashion.”
Watson
says
he
has
selected
a
“knockout”
staff
of
30
out
of
300
people
who
applied.
The
bar
will
specialize
in
“candy-themed”
martinis
and
margaritas.
“We’re
really
excited
about
featuring
our
menu
as
well
as
our
staff
because
a
part
of
this
venue
is
going
to
be
coming
from
the
scenery,”
Watson
says.
“It’s
the
venue,
it’s
the
staff,
it’s
the
show.”
BeBar’s
owners
hope
their
bar
serves
as
a
destination,
and
don’t
think
their
location
in
Shaw
will
be
a
problem.
“People
used
to
get
in
their
cars
and
drive
down
to
Nation
on
Saturday
nights,
so
this
is
easily
accessible,”
McGuire
says.
“It’s
a
block
from
the
Metro
[and
there’s]
lots
of
parking.”
