Denver Community Gains New Queer-Owned Bar, Pearl Divers

The queer bar and nightlife scene has seldom felt more tumultuous, especially in Denver, where many progressive spaces, such as the Mercury Cafe, or explicitly queer spaces, such as Blush & Blu, have been hotspots of controversy in recent years. With these issues so rampant in our community, the prospects of queer safe spaces may seem more and more dim, but proof that the scene is alive and well is right around the corner at Denver’s newest, not-so-hidden gem, Pearl Divers.

Pearl Divers is located at 608 E 13th Ave in Denver, which many would recognize the address as the site of Your Mom’s House, a local entertainment venue which frequently hosts electronic concerts and local Colorado acts. But, while Your Mom’s House continues to thrive, the dancefloor’s next-door neighbor has been completely transformed into a tiki bar with a speak-easy vibe, a process which only began in October, according to Dom Garcia, who co-owns the new business with Ashlee Cassity.

Pearl Divers had its grand opening on Sunday, an opening that was met with an explosion of support from the community, many of whom have been eagerly anticipating the new bar as a return of queer culture in Colorado. “There’s not enough spaces for people of our community,” Garcia says. “It’s been unbelievable to be able to pull this together in two months and seeing everyone come together and help.”

While getting the bar up and running in such a short timeframe had its challenges, it’s not Garcia’s first venture into a queer-inclusive space this year, as she also co-owns Sinners Hair + Nails on South Broadway with her wife, Anne. While the two businesses are of relatively different natures, one through line that is immediately apparent is Garcia’s community-driven focus, which at Sinners has manifested in fundraisers for organizations like the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund and Brewability, and in mutual aid efforts including warm bags for unhoused neighbors and “pay-what-you-can” services.

“Something we’ve strived to be, and that we have been since we opened Sinners, is being a part of the community…” Garcia says. She also said that it was important to be a pillar in the community and to create and maintain safe spaces for the community especially in light of the upcoming administration.

Pearl Divers’ ownership is far from its only distinguishing feature, as everything from the menu to the staff solidifies how unique the bar truly is. For instance, the bar even boasts its own in-house muralist, Meg Dulin, the marketing director for Your Mom’s House who became closely involved with the Sapphic speakeasy’s opening, even joining Pearl Divers as a bartender. Dulin’s art adorns much of the revamped space and showcases much of the traditional art style usually associated with Tiki bars such as Adrift or the Avantiki pop-up bar in the Denver scene.

Dulin moved to Colorado recently from South Carolina, where she said it was harder to find and be a part of the queer community, and she was also excited to be among like-minded people in the Pearl Divers crew who cared about providing vegan and vegetarian options on the food menu, as she graduated from Washington University with a degree in art history and art studies. She is also passionate about environmental causes and concentrated her work on recycled materials.

Indeed, the bar offers eight items with a vegan option on its food menu, thanks to Tua Mama’s Pizzeria which now inhabits the space where Benny Blanco’s Slice of the Bronx used to be. Even the bar’s selection of spirits and craft cocktails, which at many bars plays host to the same frequent flyers such as Casamigos Tequila and Malibu Rum, differs remarkably from the status quo. Cassity, who overlooks more of the bar’s operations and the liquors kept on retainer, said that the bar has a focus on rum options due to its Tiki-inspired nature, but she also put great care into having good whiskey selections, as well as unique and high-quality spirits to be used as wells. Some of the interesting spirits behind the bar include liquors like Dwayne Johnson’s own tequila brand, Teremana, as the bar’s well tequila, and Pusser’s Rum, which was the original rum of the British Royal Navy.

Cassity said that Pearl Divers received an overwhelming amount of support on opening night, not only from the sheer volume of patrons who came out on Sunday night but also guests who came up to give thanks to her and Garcia, and to tell them how safe Pearl Divers made them feel.

“I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Garcia says leading up to the grand opening. “Our community is the best community; we all have each other’s backs, (and) we all just stand strong together. It’s not a safe space just for our clients and for my staff, but also for myself … I want it to be a queer takeover, and I plan to be at the forefront of that any way that I can.”