New West Hollywood Gay Bar, The Or Bar, is Hiring and Opening Soon – WEHO TIMES

The Or Bar​ – a new up-and-coming West Hollywood gay bar opening at the former Gold Coast Bar​ space, at 8228 Santa Monica Blvd., is currently hiring and hoping to open soon as early as September.

“Believe it or not, we’re not waiting on anything from the city,” Rob Novinger told WEHO TIMES. “In West Hollywood, they’ve been really good with working with us. They want new business. They welcome new business. They roll out the red carpet. In LA, it’s like three or four months to get approved. West Hollywood had everything approved within two weeks.”

Novinger says the holdup to their grand opening are mainly issues surrounding engineering and supply chain, “The biggest thing we’re waiting on is our bar equipment,” he said. “And it’s all from the United States. We ordered it in January. It’s still held up. They said till the end of August, so if we can get everything in, if we get the health department in, ABC in–the liquor license is ready–they just have to do a walk-through. We get the city in and the health department, and then we can open. It takes a long time to line those things up, so we’re looking at opening in September. We were hoping for Labor Day, but I don’t think so.”

The bar’s official Instagram account, @theorbar, posted a photo of a tie pin stating that they are getting the uniforms together with custom designed neckwear and cummerbunds by fashion designers Brian Wolk and Claude Morais of Wolk Morais.

It’s going to be fun,” said Novinger. “It’s not going to what it was, but it’s not going to be snotty. It’s going to be cool 70s, 80s, trashy, cocaine chic. It will be funny.”

Fashion Police co-host George Kotsiopoulos, and Fire Hot Yoga founder Stephanie Schestag teamed up with Novinger who owns two Circus of Books adult retail stores in West Hollywood. Exactly a year ago, they announced that they were taking over the former Gold Coast Bar space to open The Or Bar (“Or” meaning “Gold” in French which is a nod to the former beloved space).

Gold Coast Bar closed for good in September 2020 after serving the community for 39 years. It became the fourth gay bar to close on Santa Monica Boulevard during the pandemic. The LGBT community lost Gym Bar, Flaming Saddles, and Rage Nightclub due to the closures by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

“We don’t want gay bars to become obsolete,” Kotsiopoulos told Variety last year. “We’re passionate about making sure we still have safe places for community.”

Or Bar is currently accepting applications at jobs@theorbar.com.

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