The leather/biker crowd soon began to merge with the bear scene, which was gaining its momentum as the Lone Star settled into its permanent home. The space, with its ample main room, nooks, crannies, and soon-to-be legendary patio, appealed to the biker crowd that previously made The Ambush - the notorious leather bar once located directly across the street - their HQ. Like a proverbial phoenix it rose up at its current location at 1354 Harrison St. The bar, only 6 months old, was rendered unsafe and had to be demolished. On October 17, 1989, the Loma Prieta earthquake struck. And in general, the bar’s founder, Rick Redewill, was helping to foster an atmosphere that appealed to working class men who felt more at home in SOMA than the Castro. They were humble beginnings indeed but at a time when HIV/AIDS was ravaging our community it was more about a sense of place than anything else. Just beer and wine - oh yeh, and sake, fresh from the microwave. At first it was a bar for old gay hippies.
The Lone Star Saloon first opened its doors in 1989 on the corner of Howard and 7th. Check out our upcoming events in the events section of this website. We are back OPEN for business!! Our hours have changed a little but the beer is cold and the bears are hot so come on down.
