- Credibility:
EDGEWATER — A businessman wants to open a pub in the spot of a former popular LGBTQ bar in Edgewater.
Randall’s Pub is hoping to debut at 6341 N. Clark St., but the business needs a zoning change and the lifting of a local liquor moratorium before it can open.
The bar would be operated by Randy Toledano and Juan Arellano. Toledano has lived in the area for more than two decades and worked for years at Pressure Billiards, the Edgewater pool hall that recently closed.
Randall’s would take over the space formerly occupied by Parlour on Clark, a gay bar that opened in 2010. Parlour closed in 2014 as business died down.
The owners sought to sell the business, but those efforts were stymied by a liquor moratorium instituted on this stretch of Clark Street the year prior, according to DNAinfo Chicago. The liquor moratorium was enacted to give neighbors more say in what opened on the street, aides for Ald. Harry Osterman (48th) and then-Ald. Pat O’Connor said at the time.
To open in the space, Randall’s owners need the liquor moratorium overturned and the property rezoned. Their business proposal was presented at a community meeting last week.
Credit: Courtesy 48th Ward OfficeToledano plans to use some of the existing tavern features from Parlour, including the wood bar. The business would have an outdoor area and shuffleboard, Toledano said at the meeting.
Randall’s would host trivia and karaoke nights, and Toledano hopes the business can be a hub for neighbors’ private parties, fundraisers and events.
The building’s facade received a new coat of blue paint a few years ago, and stars have been added to the windows for a Chicago flag theme. Toledano said he plans to add a painting of the skyline to the facade, and he will improve the building with planters and other decoration.
“I want it to be a little bit different,” Toledano said. “I’m more than happy to work with whoever … to provide a new destination for people to go to.”
Randall’s would close at normal bar hours and would not seek a late-night license, Toledano said.
Toledano said he hopes to open in October should he be granted the rezoning and liquor license.
A second community meeting on the proposed business will be held next month, said Dan Luna, Osterman’s chief of staff. After that meeting, Osterman will signal whether he supports the rezoning and moratorium lift, Luna said.
Randall’s would not be the only new bar on the block. Whiskey Girl Tavern opened in the former Pressure Billiards, 6318 N. Clark St., earlier this month.
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