NIGHTLIFE
How Lambda Lounge Is Beating the Pandemic
Married couple opened new bar during COVID era and adapted with the times
BY TAT BELLAMY-WALKER
Charles Hughes and his
husband, Richard Solomon,
knew they had to
take matters into their
own hands when their evening at a
Manhattan nightclub was ruined
by a DJ who yelled, “men don’t
dance with men!”
A few years later, Hughes and
Solomon successfully solved that
problem. They are now the proud
owners of Lambda Lounge — one
of two Black-owned queer bars in
Harlem — where anyone can dance
as they please in an inclusive environment.
“It’s very uncomfortable to be
partying at a location where you
are not accepted by the hosts,”
Hughes said during an interview
with Gay City News. “Now we have
a place where we are accepted, we
can party, we can relax, and we
can go on dates at the Lambda
Lounge.”
Hughes and Solomon conceived
Lambda Lounge, which is at 2256
Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard,
prior to the pandemic but
opened the bar for the fi rst time
last July at a time when the city
was reopening. Desperate city
dwellers were ready to break free
from quarantine to engage in outdoor
dining, and the owners were
up for the challenge.
Since launching last summer,
the bar has attracted locals and
pub-goers from across the nation.
Hughes said he and his husband
have been touched by the robust
community support behind the
bar during a pandemic that is continuing
to impact the city.
“Patrons heard about the location
and they were excited to come
in,” Hughes said. “They are thankful
that we created a safe space for
them not just one night during the
week, but Tuesday through Sunday.
Seeing that it’s thriving during
this time, it’s humbling. It’s a
blessing.”
The optimism surrounding the
bar also comes with a dose of reality
for Hughes and Solomon, who
have had to navigate the state’s ever
Charles Hughes and Richard Solomon are the founders of the LGBTQ bar Lambda Lounge.
The bar began serving food alongside their fancy cocktails to keep up with changing COVID-19 reopening
guidelines.
evolving capacity regulations as
well as stipulations such as the requirement
that alcohol cannot be
served unless food comes with it.
Those issues, however, also
taught the married couple how to
INSTAGRAM/LAMBDA LOUNGE
LAMBDA VODKA/FACEBOOK
adapt as entrepreneurs.
“Initially we were hiring a caterer
to prepare food for us, and then we
started looking at the margins and
saw it wasn’t conducive,” Hughes
said. “Then we decided to purchase
the conventional oven, and from
there, we were able to create small
bites. That allowed us to serve the
patrons food as well as alcohol.”
He added, “It has been a surreal
experience. We went into this
venture not having any experience
in the bar or restaurant industry.”
Now more than a year into the
COVID-19 pandemic, Lambda
Lounge is unveiling more features
for guests as the weather
warms up. This summer visitors
can expect a new outdoor dining
setup with glow-in-the-dark
high-top tables. The intention is
to create a luminous effect on the
curb.
“It’s still going to be on and popping,”
Hughes explained. “We’re
trying to get the vibe of the inside
and outside. When individuals are
driving down the street, they’re
going to see LED lit tables outside
of our restaurant, and people are
just going to be enjoying themselves.”
The owners have gotten creative
in their effort to spread the
word and draw customers during
a volatile era for the nightlife
industry. Lambda Lounge partnered
with Alibi Lounge, another
Black-owned LGBTQ bar in Harlem,
for a bar-hopping event. Last
year, Last year Alibi Lounge faced
a wave of fi nancial hardships
due to the pandemic, including a
break-in.
In the future, Lambda Lounge is
hoping to expand to new locations
across the country. The owners
are eyeing spots in Brooklyn and
hope to eventually stretch to Texas;
Atlanta, Georgia; and the West
Coast. The couple hopes their venture
can help queer folks who lack
a safe space to share an evening
with their partner on the dance
fl oor.
For now, though, they are proudly
giving New Yorkers what they
could not get when they visited
that nightclub a few years ago.
“LGBTQ+ people of color do not
have a location to go to,” Hughes
said. “Finally, we have a place to
call our own.”
April 22 - May 5,6 2021 | GayCityNews.com
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