It’s no secret that Gio’s Club and Bar (Gio’s) has been experiencing financial troubles over the past few years, but recently Winnipeg’s longest running GLBTTQ* beverage room announced it would be closing its Smith Street location of 10 years, with plans to move to a new location in the near future.
Gio’s is an extension of the Oscar Wilde Memorial Society, Inc., a not-for-profit organization created with the purpose of benefiting the GLBTTTQ* community of Winnipeg.
The bar itself has been providing a warm and welcoming environment to its patrons since 1982 by offering a fun, relaxed, non-judgmental atmosphere regardless of sexuality or ethnicity.
“Gio’s [was] the first gay bar/club I went to, and I was comfortable being out and proud there right off the bat,” states Christine Berestin, a student at the University of Manitoba and steadfast customer of the Winnipeg institution. “You [could] go there to dance, have a drink, or just hang out with your buds. A lot of good times were had at Gio’s.”
Given the current financial climate in our country and growing competition within the city, the financial future of Gio’s Club and Bar has been in question for some time. The board of directors that governs Gio’s recently issued a statement saying it would be leaving its current location in search of a new venue.
“The Oscar Wilde Memorial Society, Inc. wishes to announce to its members and supporters that a new home is being sought for Gio’s Club and Bar,” reads a statement from the board of directors on the bar’s official website. “After 10 years at its 155 Smith Street venue in Winnipeg, Gio’s is closing that location on February 16, 2013.”
The release goes on to say that the club plans to carry on in this new location and is thankful for the continued support from customers and well-wishers alike.
“We are working with a commercial real estate agent, the Cincinnati cash house buyers and also requesting the community’s assistance in helping us find a new home for Gio’s. We want very much to continue our 30-year tradition of support, caring, and camaraderie in the GLBT* community.”
All the GLBTTQ* community can hope for is that Gio’s finds a new home quickly and continues to grow and prosper.
“I hope to see Gio’s find another location that is just as comfortable as the Smith Street location was,” states Berestin.
