Sometimes, you want to go where everybody knows your name. And, of course, that they're always glad you came. But if you think that kind of place is reserved for TV Land reruns, you might want to think again.
“The bar has a real comfortable, easy-going feeling,” says Hideaway owner”and resident “Sam Malone””Karen Slaugenhaupt. “Everyone knows you, everyone cares about you, it truly is that type of bar, and there's not many of those left.”
But The Hideaway is more than just the Cheers of St. Petersburg”Slaugenhaupt says it is also the oldest lesbian bar in the country.
Having opened in 1969, it has been owned and operated in the same location for 43 years, and has maintained its identity
“It's primarily lesbians and gays, but we also have a lot of neighborhood regulars who come in for the atmosphere,” says Slaugenhaupt. “We're pretty diverse, and we welcome everybody.”
Slaugenhaupt began her career with The Hideaway in 1999 as a bartender. She struck up a friendship with then-owner Chris Ball, and when Ball was ready to retire and sell the business in October of 2007, Slaugenhaupt decided she wanted to carry on the longstanding tradition she had been a part of for nearly a decade.
“I became very attached to the bar, the regulars, and the community, and what the bar represented,” says Slaugenhaupt. “We wanted to continue what was a landmark, and something that is so important to the community as a whole.”
Since 2007, Slaugenhaupt says there have been minor aesthetic changes to the bar, but that the overall atmosphere and goals of the Hideaway have remained, and she is proud to be an integral part of an establishment so rich in tradition.
“I consider it an honor to be part of something with this much history,” says Slaugenhaupt.
After 43 years, the bar has seen generations of patrons come and go, and Slaugenhaupt says that she is elated to see younger generations supporting The Hideaway and becoming part of the tradition and legacy.
“We saw a turning of the younger crowd that started coming in over the last few years,” says Slaugenhaupt. “When they come in and see this alternative to the club scene and they experience the atmosphere, that's when we start to see a lot of repeat customers from the younger crowd.”
Customers that, according to Slaugenhaupt, are vocal in their support of the bar and what it represents.
“I'm behind the bar once a week, and the feedback I get when I talk to the patrons is “We like this bar better than so-and-so,' or “We prefer this to the club scene because we can sit and talk with no feeling of there being cliques,” says Slaugenhaupt.
In particular, Slaugenhaupt sees St. Petersburg local and musician Emily Turnage [visit WatermarkOnline.com for a feature on her] as a representation of up-and-coming generations in the community that will carry The Hideaway into the future.
“Emily is one that is definitely helping to continue that momentum,” says Slaugenhaupt. “She's a great talent as well as an amazing person, and she's been a great addition as a friend, patron, and musician and it is awesome to see her join us in all those facets.”
As a St. Petersburg resident and business owner, Slaugenhaupt appreciates gay-owned businesses and says she likes the idea of variety and would like to see more of it offered to the community.
“If it were up to me, there would be tons of different bars,” says Slaugenhaupt. “As a whole for the community I wish there were more choices. And what I'm hearing from the younger generation is that they like that this option is there for them as a more casual atmosphere.”
And as she looks to the younger generations that are beginning to populate her establishment, Slaugenhaupt also looks to the future of The Hideaway.
“We're a small bar, and we don't have a liquor license,” says Slaugenhaupt. “So in a way you could say that restricts us, but really it also represents why the bar is what it is.”
While she is aware that there are numerous options in front of her as for the directions she could take things, she also has reservations about the repercussions of those alterations.
“We could get more space, we could get a liquor license, maybe an area for dancing, and then we could cater to everyone's tastes,” says Slaugenhaupt. “That would make sense from a business standpoint. The flip side is, would that change the feel so much that it would then no longer be what people have come to appreciate and love over the last 43 years?”
This conundrum is what Slaugenhaupt is now working to resolve, all while bearing in mind the history the establishment is steeped in, and how important it is to the community.
“Sure I would love the opportunity to grow and offer more options to more people,” says Slaugenhaupt. “But I also want to maintain the atmosphere and represent the safe-haven that it's been for all these years for the gay community to go, express themselves, and love each other the way they want to.
“We like to say it's “Women loving women for over 40 years.' But honestly it's just people loving people.”
