Northeast’s only LGBT bar, Boom!, will be closing by month’s end. The bar was first of its kind in the Twin Cities. Historically, LGBT bars tended to cover windows and restrict the ability of passersby to look inside, a relic of times when the secrecy of going to a gay bar was important for its closeted patrons. With floor to ceiling windows, Boom! broke that mold in the Twin Cities.

The space occupied by both Boom! and the now closed attached restaurant, Oddfellows, has been puchased by the same owners as the Bulldog in Uptown.

Boom! contributed a lot to community cause including Human Rights Campaign, Outfront Minnesota, and the Minnesota AIDS Project. For those who frequented the bar, it will be sorely missed.