A pillar of Orlando’s gay bar scene is opening tabs again. R Bar – formerly Faces – is up and running at 4910 Edgewater Drive, with a fresh coat of paint, some new furniture, and some familiar faces, including manager Gayle Lewis, who has worked with the bar for nearly a decade.
“It’s still a women’s bar. All are welcome, but we’re catering toward a lesbian crowd,” said Lewis.
The bar has gone through some ups and downs over the years. Sue Hannah was the original owner, but when she passed away a couple of years ago, Faces shut down. It reopened under new ownership but Lewis said they went from full liquor to beer and wine and it was never the same, so it shut down again toward the end of last year.
Backed by an investor, Lewis opened it again in June, and said the new name came from Hannah.
“She used to say, ‘It’s not your bar, it’s not my bar, it’s our [R] bar,’” said Lewis. “A lot of bars have certain nights for women, but nowhere else in Orlando is this one home.”
Lewis said it was “hard to see it sitting there for months with a For Rent sign,” but they’ve been open for about a month, are getting some good crowds, and have some excellent entertainment coming up.
