Those legendary heavy-handed pours, spirited karaoke and trivia nights, and groan-worthy wall-to-wall patrons on packed nights are back!

Leon’s will live to see another day.

Baltimore’s oldest gay bar, which opened in the 1950s, closed in July following the death of its owner, Ron Singer.

The Mount Vernon mainstay will reopen Wednesday, a Saturday social media post from the establishment’s account said. Current ownership also confirmed the bar will reopen this week.

Advertise with us

Samm Singer, who is the late owner’s youngest child, inherited the bar with her three siblings and will run it with her husband, longtime bartender Sam Smith.

“I probably will tear up because it’s going to be awesome seeing everybody again. It’s been a long few months,” Smith told The Banner on Sunday afternoon.

Smith said they had hoped to reopen the bar weeks ago but the permit process proved time-consuming because each had to be renewed. They eventually plan to purchase the bar with the blessing of his wife’s siblings, he said.

“Samm and I are lucky enough to have the opportunity to buy the bar soon from Ron’s estate. But that’s going to be a process,” he added.

As for the bar itself, not much has changed to the interior other than new paint. Complete renovations to the two main bars will come further down the line, Smith explained.

Advertise with us

Customers can expect the same prices for drinks during happy hour. There will be increases of 50 cents to $1 during regular hours.

“Prices aren’t changing that much,” Smith said, adding he’s eager to get back to work.

“When we had everyone there the other day and I told them they were opening, I had everyone in the building, it felt like some type of support and community that I haven’t felt since I had to close that place down,” he said. “I’m so excited and just want to do what’s best for the bar and the team.”

Leon’s temporary closing left a void in what was once an active epicenter of LGBTQIA+ nightlife in the Mount Vernon neighborhood affectionately called the gayborhood.

There, larger bars such as The Hippo and Grand Central thrived and regularly attracted patrons from Washington. Those bars have shuttered, replaced by a CVS and a mixed-use residential and commercial space.

Advertise with us

The community was reminded of those days last week, when Charles “Chuck” Bowers, former owner of The Hippo, died. He was 81.

This article has been updated.