In a post-pandemic world, Trixie plans on bringing her performance background to her role as co-owner, doing “strategic” bookings and continuing some of the programming she’s already started at the bar - whether that’s hosting official after-parties or getting gigs for her Drag Race colleagues. Marie Schneider, Wild Elegance Photography You know, it’ll be looking exactly the same in 50 years.” “I'm still a business person,” she explained, “and I still believe that this business is the Cher of gay bars. In fact, she and Schneider were discussing joining forces long before the pandemic.
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Trixie emphasized that the partnership was not about trying to save Tits, an institution that “has the luxury” of not having a problem with selling drinks or getting people in the door. After all, it had stood the test of time, outlasting a dozen-or-so Milwaukee queer establishments that have shuttered since he first started exploring those spots in his early 20s. Despite some roadblocks, Schneider said that at no point in the past year did he feel like the bar was in grave danger. The bar has started live streaming shows weekly on Twitch and introduced “bar bonds,” gift certificates that steadily increase in value, whose proceeds go toward supporting the bar staff. “I think that was the hardest moment.”īut like many other queer nightlife spaces, Tits has adapted to the pandemic’s ongoing challenges.
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When COVID-19 first hit the United States in March 2020 and Schneider realized that he would have to temporarily shut down Tits for the first time in 53 years, he felt “powerless and helpless.” “We have such a promise to our customers, that we're always open. For a cover charge, you can join the throng of sweaty bodies bouncing to EDM in the basement of this Henry Street bar.Co-owner George Schneider Marie Schneider, Wild Elegance Photography
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It probably has something to do with the youthful demographic that University of Wisconsin-Madison attracts and the city's reputation as a "liberal bubble," often having different political opinions than the rest of the state. Unassuming as it may be, Madison, Wisconsin, is a mecca for the LGBTQ crowd.