Popular downtown Lexington gay bar announces ‘last dance,’ plans to close

A fixture on Lexington’s downtown bar scene known for karaoke, drag shows and game nights is closing.

Soundbar, a dance and night club at 208 S. Limestone, announced on social media that it will be closing later this month.

Soundbar owners Isaac Kurs and David Jones said on Wednesday that they are ready to pass the torch to a new bar owner.

“We had a great run, it was lot of fun, but the last three years have been very challenging for us,” Kurs said.

The COVID shutdown, the ongoing pandemic and especially the difficulty hiring staff have all taken a toll on the business, Kurs said.

“We lost a lot of long time staff and a lot of momentum,” he said. “Trying to build it back up would require us to be very hands on, and we don’t think we have it in us right now. We’re focusing on other projects, and we’re really looking for a new tenant to take over the space. It’s a great spot.”

“We want to get somebody in there who’s ready to take it over and make a go of it,” Jones said.

“Soundbar will have its LAST DANCE on Saturday November 19,” the prominent gay bar announced on Facebook. “We had the most amazing 13 years and are now ready to move on to other projects.”

According to the post, the space will be available for private events until a new tenant is found.

“We thank everybody that supported us over the years, we had a great time getting to know you and dancing together,” the post said. “We would also like to thank the staff at Soundbar, you are a big part of Soundbar’s long and successful run.”

The bar opened in May 2009 and hosted costumed holiday parties, drag brunches and bingo and more.

During the COVID pandemic, when restaurants were allowed to reopen but not bars, Soundbar ditched its dance floor to offer snacks to stay open for business.

The patio out back also was reconfigured for spaced out seating and plastic sheeting was hung between banquettes inside.