Toronto might have to say goodbye to another LGBT hotspot before the year is over.
Popular Queen East bar and lounge What Are You Looking At (WAYLA) is on the market. The bar, set in the Leslieville area, sits at an asking price of $150,000, comes with a transferable liquor license and seats 140.
Known for its theme nights and rotation of local art, WAYLA opened in 2010 as one of the premiere, LGBT-friendly hotspots in the Leslieville area.
Whether the bar will remain as is under new management has yet to be determined.
WAYLA is just one of the queer spaces that have recently announced shutting down. Cabaret bar Zipperz, on Church and Carlton Streets, has been on the chopping block since 2013 — the lease is set to expire at the end of 2015. Club owner Harry Singh told Daily Xtra on March 21, 2013, that he had no plans to reopen the bar in a new location.
House-Maison, the popular restaurant on Church Street, closed earlier in 2015. Owner Renada Abdo told NOW on Aug 11, 2015, that the space was never meant to be a permanent fixture. Abdo added that the Victorian mansion which housed the restaurant will be sold by the owner.
And Remington’s, Toronto’s male-only strip club on Yonge Street, is one of six buildings that might soon be vacated in order to make room for new building developments.
Why you can trust Xtra
