Canvas Gay Bar Moving to East Nashville After 11 Years on Church Street – Nashville Scene
When it comes to Canvas, the bar he founded, Darek Tanner says he’s all about evolution. That’s why he put blank canvases on the bar’s wall to be painted over time, constantly switching out decor and art from local artists.
Now, after 11 years at its Church Street location, the local LGBTQ staple is undergoing the next step in its evolution. Canvas is moving to new digs at 1105 Fatherland St. on Nov. 3, with Oct. 31 set as the bar’s last day on Church Street.
Tanner and general manager Seth Thomas say they had been looking for a new space in East Nashville for some time, and didn’t have to think twice about partnering with Music City PrEP, which renovated the former Bill Martin’s grocery store to open a clinic in September, making them Canvas’ landlord.
Back when Canvas opened, there were five other gay bars on that single Church Street block. It has since dwindled down to just Canvas and one other tenant, WKND Hang Suite, though longtime gay-scene staples Tribe and Play are still nearby. Tanner says crowds still haven’t quite gotten back to what they were pre-pandemic, and parking has shrunken, making it less accessible.
The new location will offer a different vibe than the original. It’s a place for people to get lunch and dinner, with its opening hours set at 11 a.m. until 1 a.m. Thomas says they’re planning to take the food to the next level, with house-made pasta along with bar staples like burgers and wings.
“It’s been a 3 a.m. party bar over at Church Street, and it’s more in the vein of dive-bar nightclub,” Thomas says. “This is more bar/restaurant and neighborhood focus. We’re here to enhance, not impose.”
Owner Darek Tanner in Canvas’ new East Nashville space
“Canvas is definitely a neighborhood bar to where we want to be woven into the fabric of the neighborhood,” Tanner says. “That’s a really big theme for me. That’s why we’re so excited about being here, because now we can grow with the neighborhood.”
Tanner’s goal from the start was to create a gay bar that felt like Cheers — a place he didn’t have growing up in his small town in Southern Illinois in the ’80s. The new location will feature the old location’s recognizable church-style lights, as well as some of the original art and stained-glass pieces — all meant to be conversation pieces, says Tanner. He’s always been adamant that the space not feature TVs, hoping to encourage people to talk to one another more.
“For somebody with an office job, for them to come into Canvas, they can really express who they are, because they have to kind of squash it down a little bit in a box whenever they’re behind the computer,” Tanner says. “Here they can be themselves. I don’t care if you’re the butchest guy with the biggest beard and wear prom dress and a tiara in here, great. I love that.”
While they’ll miss having Tribe and Play nearby, Tanner and Thomas will now be able to collaborate with what they’ve always called their sister bar, Lipstick Lounge, a few blocks away. Tanner calls it the “gayborhood.”
“This is a gay bar that’s everybody-friendly,” he says. “It still has power to have our own place. Just be accepting. If you see a couple girls holding hands or you see a couple of guys making out in the corner, well, you’re on our turf.”