Historic Gay Bar This is It! Has Closed
A small shrine is beginning to form at site of former tavern on Wells Street.
This is It! 418 E. Wells St. Photo taken March 10, 2025 by Sophie Bolich.
That was it.
Wisconsin’s oldest continually operating gay bar, This is It!, announced its permanent closure over the weekend.
Founded in 1968 by June Brehm and later passed down to her son, Joseph Brehm, the tavern at 418 E. Wells St. has been a cornerstone of Milwaukee’s LGBTQIA+ community, serving as a hub for connection, exploration and belonging. It was also one of the city’s top venues for drag performances.
In an online post, owners George Schneider and Brian Firkus attributed the closure to the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing years, along with a street reconstruction project that closed the road and sidewalk in front of the tavern for much of 2024.
“It’s with so much sadness, but with so much love, we bid you farewell,” says the parting message, which was shared online and posted in the bar’s front windows. “Take care of each other, and please continue to support local and queer-owned businesses.”
By Monday morning, mourners had already made their mark on the building. Some left candles and scattered flowers, while others penned messages like “We are NOT going anywhere,” “Never forget” and “Long live the gay agenda.”
Another directed criticism at Firkus, better known as the drag superstar Trixie Mattel, whose net worth is reportedly $10 million. “The ball was in your court, Trixie,” reads a message scrawled on the window in red marker.
In the parting message, Schneider and Firkus thanked staff, performers, friends and community members for their contributions to the bar.
“This is It! has been so much more than a nightlife spot for the queer community,” reads the post. “It has been a gathering place, a safe place, a second home, and the memories made at the bar will stay in our hearts forever.”
In the hours following the announcement, several commenters expressed that had they been aware of the bar’s struggles, they would have rallied to save it.
But that’s already happened. This Is It! faced financial struggles in March 2020 and launched a GoFundMe campaign seeking community support to afloat open during the pandemic shutdown. The fundraiser generated more than $12,000.
At the time, Michael Fisher was a co-owner of the establishment, which had recently completed a large and costly expansion, creating a new dance floor and additional performance space. Mattel became a co-owner in 2021, bringing additional financial support and exposure.
This time, however, the owners were clear that they explored every possible avenue. “We want you to know that we did everything we could to keep our doors open for you.”
The closure comes amid growing anxiety among the LGBTQIA+ community and their allies, as the Trump administration continues to propose and enact laws restricting gender-affirming care, limiting discussions of LGBTQIA+ topics in schools and rolling back nondiscrimination policies.
Amyri Dior, a trans woman, was killed in Milwaukee last month. The incident is being investigated as a homicide, and Dior’s family believes her gender identity may have been a factor in the killing, according to a story by Sophie Carson and Chris Ramirez. It’s the latest in a series of disturbing killings involving Black trans women, following the murders of Cashay Henderson, Brazil Johnson and Regina “Mya” Allen.
Businesses in support of the LGBTQIA+ community have also experienced pushback — and even the threat of violence — over their conduct. Last summer, Batter & Mac canceled a drag queen story time event at its Menomonee Falls location after receiving threatening messages.
Gay bars have been a downward trend for the past two decades, but did experience a post-2020 resurgence. Using data from Damron Men’s Travel Guide, sociologist Greggor Mattson determined that 36.6% of gay bars closed between 2007 and 2019.
Update: On Monday, Schneider posted a lengthy Facebook message detailing his decision to close.
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Undoubtedly a number of factors likely played into This Is It!’s closing.
While every article and Milwaukee news broadcast I’ve seen has basically parroted the bar’s announcement of closing, I appreciate Urban Milwaukee providing as least a little coverage of criticism of the owner-managers. “Another directed criticism at Firkus, better known as the drag superstar Trixie Mattel, whose net worth is reportedly $10 million. ‘The ball was in your court, Trixie,’ reads a message scrawled on the window in red marker.” (Funny how some of the bar’s distraught patrons were asking on a Reddit and elsewhere why Mattel and Schneider didn’t let them know the bar was in trouble. Millionaires have a tendency to use other people’s money and leave town under cloak of darkness when things go bad.)
When you look back at coverage from when Trixie Mattel got involved, there is a lot of talk (from Trixie, herself, and from George Schneider) about how she was going to being her “celebrity and business savvy” and vast knowledge of what has worked at other gay bars “half way across the planet.” She was going to pop in and also curate events. She said she was going to turn Milwaukee’s gay “Cheers” into a “destination.”
https://www.jsonline.com/story/entertainment/2021/02/02/drag-superstar-trixie-mattel-now-co-owner-it-oldest-lgbtq-bar-wisconsin/4290883001/
Schneider was quoted as saying he and Mattel were not afraid to try new things.
One article from back then mentioned one night would be drag night. When I checked out This Is It!’s website last night, I saw no fewer than four nights with drag shows—including prime Friday and Saturday evenings. And, the entire video loop on the site portrayed drag shows with maybe a smattering of DJs.
Clearly, what was once a renowned and iconic “gay Cheers” in Milwaukee for the first 51 years of its existence (with lines of people waiting to get in, according to Schneider in one article) had become a drag bar. So much for not being afraid to “try new things.” Drag has never been more popular since the advent of “Ru Paul’s Drag Race.” Like it or not, it’s tough to find a gay bar anywhere (including here in Chicago and the Northalsted neighborhood where I live) that does not show Drag Race whenever it is on. Sometimes multiple versions a week. Then there are drag brunches and any number of gay bars who somehow include drag in most evert event or celebration.
I’m definitely not opposed to drag, but what’s the value of a drag bar when drag can be found most everywhere?
I’m sure I’m not alone who mourn the loss of the This Is It! that truly was Milwaukee’s gay Cheers. Where, as even Trixie put it, “A lot of drag queens (in Milwaukee) made This Is It! our happy hour moment before we had to put on the wig and go do the drag show.”
What I do find typical are business owners and managers who are more than ready to cite every headwind they faced as reason for closing without at least taking a little of the blame. Especially given all their bravado as they started changing a solid business model. (Remember…before 2019, lines of people waiting to get in…) And then, you get the likes of Alder Burgelis (Keep your shirt on, Alder!) who alludes to how he’s going to investigate how the eight-month closure of Wells Street hurt the bar’s sidewalk business. Honey, please stop, your politician is showing… 😉
RIP old This Is It! You were a great place to hang out, chat with strangers, meet new friends, and feel at home.