[Find the Mercury‘s Queer Guide in print—available in more than 500 spots citywide!—eds.]
The Silverado is obviously and stridently a gay bar. Rainbow tassels line the kitchen, attractive men in snug underwear sling drinks, and posters of shirtless guys adorn the walls. Also, after nine at night male strippers perform in the Silverado’s basement.
The Silverado was established over four decades ago and today is one of Portland’s longest-standing gay bars. It’s now in its third or fourth location, depending on how you count.
“It started as Flossie’s, which was up on Burnside where the Fred Meyer is now,” says Trevor Wion, the Silverado’s bar manager of nearly 25 years. He says that Flossie’s was “the same as what we are now, which is a very queer bar, but much quieter. I don’t think they started having dancers until ’87.”
According to Wion, sometime in the early ’90s the owner of Flossie’s surprised everyone by announcing that the bar was suddenly moving to what is now Harvey Milk Street.
“Everyone picked something up. There was a procession of bar stools, records, and bottles of liquor. Everyone just carried everything, and that’s when they opened up down at Stark Street.”
