Gay bars forest park il

Last Forest Park gay bar closed for code violations

Hard Wood will be located where Chalk, Madison St. Chalk owner Matt Mathey and David Lipka, who runs bars in Berwyn and Hillside, are collaborating on the rebranding, which should be finished sometime in the next few weeks, in mid-July. A beer vendor introduced the pair about a year ago and they began brainstorming.

Mathey wanted to spur some new business at his bar. Lipka said Oak Park and Berwyn, along with Evanston, have some of the largest gay populations in the Chicago area. Suburban gay bars, Lipka said, are few and far between. Hard Wood, then, will fill a clear niche on Madison Street that has been absent for several years.

Expanding food and drink options in nearby communities in Oak Park, Brookfield and Berwyn have siphoned customers away, too. The floor was refinished, too. The back patio is also transforming into a fully staffed tiki-style bar. The upstairs area, which previously hosted special events, like birthdays or DJ events, will now be open as a lounge space, with dancing.

The idea, Lipka said, is to fill the whole two-story space, which includes seating for about people, all the time, as much as possible. Mathey will still own the bar and Lipka will run day-to-day operations as general manager. Skip to content David Lipka, general manager of Hard Wood.