“We saw this transition period in gay night life happening, so we sat down with each other and talked it over and eventually decided that now was the time,” Chris said. At the time, The Eagle had yet to announce that it would be closing its doors, but they knew that the bar would eventually be moving. In January, when the building went up for lease, Chris and Ray called the landlord right away. But he knew that he always wanted to open a bar of his own.
For the past decade, Chris has been a bartender in Denver working first at the Eagle for three years before moving on to The R&R, where he has bartended for seven years. It was early this year that Ray, alongside his business and life partner Chris, saw an opportunity to pursue one of their dreams: owning a gay bar. “We want to harbor a gay community not just for gay men,” Chris said. Leather Colorado 2009, so it’s something we know well. Chris was always in the leather scene and was Mr. “We decided on the Levi’s and leather theme because of our own personal affections for that certain community. “We want everyone to feel comfortable here,” Ray said.
