I bought the Stonewall Inn; here's what it's like to own it

Stacy Lentz grew up middle-class in Kansas and moved to New York City in her 20s, where she felt she had discovered the center of the world. She probably knew she was gay earlier but fought it; at 24 she walked into her first gay bar and thought, "Oh, these are my people." Lentz became a regular at a nearby piano bar and befriended its manager, Kurt Kelly.

In 2006, after learning the Stonewall Inn was shutting down, she and Kurt and two other partners bought the building, and Lentz went into credit card debt to do it. With a background in marketing and a profile as a vocal LGBTQ+ advocate, Lentz set out to make the inn a success.

The first year was difficult — a roof collapse and major repairs — but she made her investment back within the first couple of years. Still, she says she has never made much money from the bar; their rent is $55,000 a month, "a lot of vodka soda to sell." The co-owners view themselves as stewards.

United States, New York City

stonewall inn, stacy lentz, kurt kelly, new york, gay bar, lgbtq advocate, co-owners, rent, credit card, roof collapse