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The Sheffield gay scene part 2

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My gay friend thinks while this is a great idea his business head says no. Years ago Attercliffe was the gay place to be it had the makings of a gay village it could have turn Attercliffe around unlike now in its derelict wasteland state. Many clubs and pubs have been and gone ask the question why did they fail? Easy answer no one supported them no money in the tills to pay the bills basically the idea is 30 years out of date. Manchester's Canal Street started in the 1990s a different time not so much apps and Internet fast forward the street is struggling mostly hen parties at weekends most have abandoned it now.

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My gay friend thinks while this is a great idea his business head says no. Years ago Attercliffe was the gay place to be it had the makings of a gay village it could have turn Attercliffe around unlike now in its derelict wasteland state. Many clubs and pubs have been and gone ask the question why did they fail? Easy answer no one supported them no money in the tills to pay the bills basically the idea is 30 years out of date. Manchester's Canal Street started in the 1990s a different time not so much apps and Internet fast forward the street is struggling mostly hen parties at weekends most have abandoned it now.

 

Dempseys remains consistently the late night place to go. OMG unfortunately, whilst located in what you would have thought would be a beneficial location, close to the main bar area of West Street and particularly West Street Live, has failed from a mixture of arrogance in not listening to it's customers, third rate drag acts and an inability to create a welcoming environment. (Example staff huddled in coats to keep warm whilst the Customers leave because no heating !). The new Gay Quarter is a welcome addition around the end of the Moor and hopefully the businesses will compliment each other with Dempseys and attract people into Sheffield, rather than the exodus to Manchester and Leeds,

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My gay friend thinks while this is a great idea his business head says no. Years ago Attercliffe was the gay place to be it had the makings of a gay village it could have turn Attercliffe around unlike now in its derelict wasteland state. Many clubs and pubs have been and gone ask the question why did they fail? Easy answer no one supported them no money in the tills to pay the bills basically the idea is 30 years out of date. Manchester's Canal Street started in the 1990s a different time not so much apps and Internet fast forward the street is struggling mostly hen parties at weekends most have abandoned it now.

 

I read elsewhere in this forum that the decline of the Attercliffe scene was at least encouraged by bad management of one of the venue owners. There's no automatic reason why this new development can't work.

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My gay friend thinks while this is a great idea his business head says no. Years ago Attercliffe was the gay place to be it had the makings of a gay village it could have turn Attercliffe around unlike now in its derelict wasteland state. Many clubs and pubs have been and gone ask the question why did they fail? Easy answer no one supported them no money in the tills to pay the bills basically the idea is 30 years out of date. Manchester's Canal Street started in the 1990s a different time not so much apps and Internet fast forward the street is struggling mostly hen parties at weekends most have abandoned it now.

 

 

Your 'gay friend' is wrong.

 

I read elsewhere in this forum that the decline of the Attercliffe scene was at least encouraged by bad management of one of the venue owners. There's no automatic reason why this new development can't work.

 

This is correct.

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It will be interesting to see how it does.

 

Fuel failed

OMG Same 20 customers, in my opinion not doing well

XES Closed after many years, probably by city centre late licencing

Other various Attercliffe venues, closed.

Sanctuary Closed (Now straight)

Affinity Closed

Lions Closed (Now straight)

 

Dempseys has a niche market that it does well catering for, long serving and loyal staff base and people like it no matter what the discussion is around those people who don't.

 

Look at Climax, once a month. Used to be a highlight that was packed, again, now much quieter and nothing compared to what it was around 2006-10.

 

I have said this a thousand times before, but i will say it again. Sheffield is inclusive. The LGBT community have no issues at Tank, Code, Corp, Crystal, or wherever else they choose to go. My experience says a lot of people will go out earlier to these places and then make Dempseys their late stop from 12am on. The creation of a Social Media generation, supported by Apps such as Tinder and Grindr means you are not limited to where you can go to meet guys anymore, its not the 80's when gays ran personal ads in a newspaper!

 

The key here is that the new business has to create more business and not just split the business that is already here. Many have tried to take Dempseys on for their trade, and lost.

 

Lord Brexit is right about Canal St, other than Gay Pride weekend it is dire. Another place that now has multiple closings and changes of ownership.

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Your 'gay friend' is wrong.

 

 

 

This is correct.

 

If their was all this support then why did previous venus close,two were located in the city centre ? Let's go back to the early 2000s the gay community had the Cossack on Howard Street, Attercliffe their was Planet, Manhattan Dance Floor, Norfolk Arms, Club Xcess, Bar Celonca, later reopened has an members only club I understand, Fuel nightclub in its various locations . Move forward in time their was Affinity , Icons Charles Street night club. So why do you think this gay quarter will do better?

 

---------- Post added 15-04-2018 at 14:47 ----------

 

It will be interesting to see how it does.

 

Fuel failed

OMG Same 20 customers, in my opinion not doing well

XES Closed after many years, probably by city centre late licencing

Other various Attercliffe venues, closed.

Sanctuary Closed (Now straight)

Affinity Closed

Lions Closed (Now straight)

 

Dempseys has a niche market that it does well catering for, long serving and loyal staff base and people like it no matter what the discussion is around those people who don't.

 

Look at Climax, once a month. Used to be a highlight that was packed, again, now much quieter and nothing compared to what it was around 2006-10.

 

I have said this a thousand times before, but i will say it again. Sheffield is inclusive. The LGBT community have no issues at Tank, Code, Corp, Crystal, or wherever else they choose to go. My experience says a lot of people will go out earlier to these places and then make Dempseys their late stop from 12am on. The creation of a Social Media generation, supported by Apps such as Tinder and Grindr means you are not limited to where you can go to meet guys anymore, its not the 80's when gays ran personal ads in a newspaper!

 

The key here is that the new business has to create more business and not just split the business that is already here. Many have tried to take Dempseys on for their trade, and lost.

 

Lord Brexit is right about Canal St, other than Gay Pride weekend it is dire. Another place that now has multiple closings and changes of ownership.

 

From what IV seen Dempseys in my option is fairy mixed crowd like it should be never had any bother Iv taken my mate too many straight venues again no problems. A year or so back me and my girlfriend went to the gay village in Manchester you could really tell it was struggling and a bit run down in parts.

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I never visit Dempsey's because it's nothing I want from an LGBT venue. The key to the success of the new Quarter will be the variety of venue it can provide, and how well that can access the wider audience not catered for by the stereotypical gay venue like Dempsey's. This is one of the reasons other recent venues failed: they provided nothing sufficiently new or different.

Edited by birobasher

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Hi we are heading into town and am researching The city’s gay / drag scene and was wondering what / who is good and where to go, I can’t find much info on many Sheffield drag queens people have told me to look up penny change ? Electric Blue ? Tia Anna?

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OMG is now free, dropped all weekend door charges.

 

"You spoke, we listened" was their headline. I might suggest that they listened and did nothing for 2 years, and now it is so bad they have to listen.....

 

Tick tock. Just proves that Sheffield is a different beast to a lot of other cities as they seem to do OK in Bristol and Plymouth at least.

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OMG is now free, dropped all weekend door charges.

 

"You spoke, we listened" was their headline. I might suggest that they listened and did nothing for 2 years, and now it is so bad they have to listen.....

 

Tick tock. Just proves that Sheffield is a different beast to a lot of other cities as they seem to do OK in Bristol and Plymouth at least.

 

I did read somewhere that many of the pubs and clubs at the heart of Manchester's 'gay village' are also struggling. Perhaps it's many people's financial struggles and changing patterns of socialising that are having an impact....Though, as I said earlier, Sheffield's gay scene has been poor for many years - even though it's one of the UK's bigger cities.

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