Spiral Dance Bar to reopen under new ownership — and with a new name

An acclaimed gay bar in Old Town that closed at the beginning of the pandemic is one step closer to reopening its doors. And although the new prospective owner plans to ditch the Spiral Dance Bar name, he wants to maintain its inclusive theme as a haven for the LGBTQ+ community. 

The Lansing City Council approved a liquor license transfer on Monday at the old Spiral building to Lorenzo’s LLC — a company owned by Adam Brewer, a local landlord and Okemos resident who has been negotiating a purchase agreement since the summer. Now, the transfer just needs approval from the Michigan Liquor Control Commission before the sale is finalized.

“We were thinking we could open in October but now we’re not totally sure,” Brewer explained. “It depends on the liquor license. It could take a couple weeks or it could take a couple months. We do have a new name, and we could open as soon as four weeks after we get the license.”

Brewer said he won’t disclose the club’s new name until the $800,000 sale with current owner Tom Donall is finalized. But he emphasized that very little about the place will change: It will still be marketed as a gay bar. There will still be drag shows. There will still be live entertainment. 

Brewer’s attorney, Amanda Dernovshek, said the club — whenever it reopens — will continue operating “in a similar fashion” on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays with dancing and music. She labeled the plans as a “continuation” of the old Spiral, with a new owner and a new name.

The purchase agreement between Donall and Brewer hinges on the transfer of its liquor license and calls for $60,000 to be paid at closing and four additional lump sum payments of $20,000. The remaining $460,000 balance — which includes the liquor license — will be paid monthly.

“Spiral closed at the onset of the endemic and new ownership is looking to reopen this with some minor changes in store,” explained Council Vice President Adam Hussain. “The license types are historically what Spiral already had. They just want to continue the same operations.”

Spiral closed last March because of the pandemic and never reopened. Brewer, who is originally from Leslie, said he made a nonrefundable deposit on the property in September. He is planning a few renovations, but he said patrons can still expect an LGBTQ+ focused entertainment destination, with plenty of music, dancing and live shows. The latest city license transfer still calls for “topless” dancers — namely for half-naked men in banana hammocks.

Donall, who initially put Spiral on the market in April 2019, said that maintaining the central theme of the old nightclub and dance bar was a critically important aspect of the potential sale. The only other specifically designated LGBTQ+ bar in Greater Lansing is Esquire Bar, a block away in Old Town. However, that club does not allow anyone under age 21 to enter. And while it has a small dance floor, it’s mostly just a neighborhood bar designed for socializing. 

In a world where the LGBTQ+ community is gaining more and more acceptance and defined sexual identities are becoming less and less rigid, Donall recognized that just about every bar could now be considered a gay bar. Still, he thinks it’s important to carve out a specific space.

“I think a lot of people like coming to gay clubs — and not just gay people,” Donall said. “The music and the people are fun. People like to hang out with the gay community. I also think that with all the crazy stuff happening in the world, it’s important to keep our community together.”

Spiral opened in 2000 as part of an influx of new investment in Old Town. It was also a time of dislocation for the city’s gay bars, which had been ousted from Michigan Avenue to make way for the baseball stadium. Its establishment helped anchor Old Tovwn as an LGBTQ+ stronghold.

Donall also owns and operates The Palace, a prominent gay bar in Miami Beach. He told City Pulse that he decided to sell Spiral to focus his attention on his other business endeavors. 

“I’m not in Lansing anymore and it’s just difficult to run the business there. The whole time I’ve been hoping that someone would take it over and keep it going as a gay bar,” Donall said. Brewer said he owns several other properties in Old Town. He owned Brewer Iron and Metal, a local recycling business focused on recycling and selling used cars. He sold the business to Padnos and now tows vehicles to them for recycling with his tow company, Gigi’s. He also owns rental properties under various companies: Old Town LLC; Drew LLC and Brewer Housing LLC.

More than 100 people shared a Facebook post that noted he was seeking employees for the new club. Brewer told City Pulse this week that hiring was going “well” ahead of the launch.

Rodger Geissman, also known as DJ Lipgloss, has also been hired as entertainment manager and show director for the new gay club. Geissman has a long history in Michigan’s LGBTQ+ community of developing and promoting drag shows from Lansing to Grand Rapids.

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