CHS reported on 30 years at The Cuff here in 2023
Through 32 years of changes in the neighborhood and changes in ownership, people have been getting lost in the dark corners and good times at The Cuff.
The quintessential Capitol Hill leather bar is now stepping out again on its own.
Scott Walent, a first-time nightlife owner, is stepping up and taking over the sprawling 13th Ave venue and center of Seattle queer culture as part of a rare downsizing of the Queer/Bar family of Capitol Hill businesses.
“We understand the weight of this responsibility and are committed to honoring the legacy of the previous owners, who so wonderfully navigated The Cuff Complex through the past five years,” Walent said in a statement to the Seattle Gay News who was first to report the changes. “We plan to maintain many of the values and traditions that have made The Cuff such a vital part of our community while infusing new vibes and programming into the calendar.”
“Some businesses truly become the backbone of a neighborhood, and we sincerely hope they continue to thrive for generations to come,” the Queer/Bar ownership group said in a statement, Seattle Gay Scene reports.
In 1993, The Cuff started as a concept from Scott Rodriguez and Tim F. for a “a positive social outlet for people who were into Leather, Levi’s and Uniforms.” The Cuff’s name, among other things, throws a knowing wink to the Seattle Police Department’s East Precinct, only a block west of the bar.
The surprisingly massive 7,000-square-foot venue has continued with a mission to provide “the best queer experience in the city.”
The Cuff
The Cuff has changed ownership multiple times. Randy Fields purchased the club in 2004. Following Fields, a group of investors took over the business in 2013. Then in 2020, Joey Burgess and the Queer/Bar family of businesses took ownership of the club just as COVID-19 hit.
Now the Cuff is leaving its siblings Queer/Bar, Oddfellows, and Elliott Bay Book Co. behind to set off again on its own.
Capitol Hill, of course, is a much changed place from 1993 though the 1927-built home of the Cuff has stayed mostly the same and remains under longtime ownership of the Tolias family.
These nights, 13th Ave is one of the busiest streets on Capitol Hill — but not only because of leather bar patrons. The neighboring building is home to “ghost kitchen” restaurant delivery concept Cap Hill Kitchens and the street-clogging army of freelance drivers that make it work. Across the street, meanwhile, the Auto Accessories building is lined up for demolition and development of a seven-story, multifamily mixed-use apartment building. That change is likely on hold until economic conditions chilling the city’s construction sector improve.
Even development at that scale may not change the Cuff. The leather bar overcame challenges with concerns around the Packard Building Apartments that rises above it on 12th Ave and has been living in harmony with its neighbors there for more than a decade.
The transaction is the latest in a string of Capitol Hill nightlife merger and acquisition and new venue activity in recent years. The latest is the debut last year of Vice Seattle below the Melrose Market under experienced Seattle nightlife entrepreneurs. 2023 brought the takeovers that created Club Cultura on E Pike and the new club Massive in the old R Place space on E Pine. 2022? The investor behind the Badlands and Splash clubs arrived in Seattle to give Broadway’s Neighbours a fresh start.
The Cuff’s new ownership, meanwhile, also marks the second iconic Capitol Hill venue to change hands this spring. CHS reported here on the final nights at the Century Ballroom as the space is transformed under new ownership into the new Reverie Ballroom and events space.
The Cuff is located at 1533 13th Ave. Learn more at at cuffcomplex.com.
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Hopefully they stop it with the doof doof music and play a good mix of dance, pop and classics (at least in one of the areas). Every gay I know says the exact same thing about the music there, it’s terrible! Now that massive caters to the exact same crown, maybe it’s time for the cuff to try something different (every other gay city manages to pull off the music we can all sing and dance to)
What is “doof doof” music? Is it electronica? I have no clue. I live next to Pride Place and Neighbors so it’s them or nuthin’.
Is there a difference among clubs and what are they?
I am a production/broadcast nerd. I am always looking for things with broad appeal. Dick’s has broad appeal for example. Many wonder why. But if you know? You know.
So I was wondering about the subject of formats.
Your sooo full of bologna!!
huh? that’s outta left field. what are you talkin’ about?
“We plan to maintain many of the values and traditions that have made The Cuff such a vital part of our community while infusing new vibes and programming into the calendar.”
Hope this means get rid of the current roster of DJ’s .. the music has been terrible every time i’ve been since covid. Nobody i know actually enjoys the music there and the ones who are on drugs will bop to anything. Hoping the new owner might give us DJ that can throw some classic dance anthems on during their set and music/singers we know and can dance and sing along to.
What is a “Dance Anthem”?
This is my version.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iFBXjRbVl0
It can mean a lot of things I guess, but generally it’s the sort of music that gets people onto a dance floor. Often upbeat; lyrics that are catch and easy to remember / sing along.
Just, the sort of music that makes people happy! thanks for sharing your own anthem! :)
I’m in the pocket then :O)
Bring back the Sunday tea dances with Disco Vinnie!
Maybe they’ll actually turn it back into a leather bar
Dan and Steve:
I DJ occasionally at the Cuff (one of the large, rotating roster of DJs providing that musical inconsistency, which is a separate issue I hope improves) and your concerns are definitely heard. I don’t disagree with what you’re saying. A few of us are trying to move towards the direction you, and I, and most people I talk to, are wanting, so this Saturday we’re putting on an event called Lyriq that’s along those lines of happy, sing-along, gay dance music. Hopefully we can pull a good crowd and show the new ownership that’s what people want. See you on the dance floor.
Andrew – thanks for replying and letting me know! That sounds great .. will definitely check your night out this weekend.
I was saying to my friends that if we could give some sort of feedback (even via scannable QR codes in the club) it would be a easy way to communicate what we love / want more of etc!
I would def come out more often if I knew the music was going to be on par with what we can expect in cities like Portland, Chicago and the likes! Literally everyone (especially when they go away for a break elsewhere) brings up the lack of a similar consistent club / vibe here and it such a shame. The cuff is a fab space and I Hope it goes well for ya! Good luck with the new owner, hope he is receptive to some mixing it up a little and see how it goes :)
Thanks Steve. I agree, the consistency (or lack of) is an issue, and it would definitely be nice to get more feedback from the community. Just showing up is a good way to show support, but having a vehicle to communicate “I enjoyed/didn’t enjoy this” would be beneficial for planning future events. I don’t have the answers for this but we’ll see what happens over the next couple of months I guess.