Thursday, December 31, 2009

Feathers opened it's door on June 17 (?) 1978 in River Edge, New Jersey. It was previously a restaurant called Feathers, before that it was Pickwick's restaurant. The owner, Archie, was approached by the management of "The Bell" a gay bar that was located on Route 4 by the Coach House Diner in Hackensack. As my memory recalls the events, the details seem a bit foggy. I believe the Bell was closing on a Friday and opened at Feathers on a Sunday. The gays were being chased out of Hackensack and needed a place to nest-hence FEATHERS. Everyone always commented on the name "Feathers" and it always made sense to me. .. Birds of a feather flock together, and we are a unique group of people that have flocked together through the years.
Some people walked though the place unnoticed, and others embossed themselves into our memories forever.
I wasn't there at the beginning, I was still "finding myself", but from what I heard it seemed there was this shady manager, Andy or something like that. I will not be using real names on people I don't know, or feel wouldn't want their name used. This blog isn't really about people as much as it's about a place, a place many called home and you will read why.

Shady Andy it seemed managed the Bell and approached Archie about making Feathers a hot spot...Andy succeeded and within weeks Feathers became the busiest night-club in New Jersey.

Archie, being straight, didn't really interfere with the running of the club and was happy with just seeing profits. But, just for the record, Archie has fought harder for the gay people and keeping the bar afloat. Whether he did it for the money or the people is your choice to believe, but the reality is that the bar is there 31 years later, and doesn't seem like it's going anywhere anytime soon.

So there was Shady Andy doing his thing and he sold the coat room rights to a man named Hank.
Let the drama begin...Hank was determined to become the manager, and although he was making money in his coatroom, he wanted more. This is where the gossip comes in supposedly Andy was a gambler and got into debt with the wrong people and was killed. Feathers had no manager and Hank stepped up to bat and became the new manager.

I came in during the Hank regime, and what a regime it was!

Rumors have been circulating for years about a ghost at the bar and it is true. I remember one night going down set up my bar and there was a guy there. Puzzled, I asked how he got in, being we weren't opened yet. He walked into the bathroom, being the snot I had become, I followed him yelling to get out. There was no one in the bathroom. I had never seen Andy and when I described the man to Trixie, an old bartender who knew Andy, he informed me that I described Andy. The hair on my neck is standing up now as I type this. Many have told "Andy the ghost" stories, whether they are true or not is up to the listener. He's kinda harmless and as the years went on I got comfortable with him. He just wants to be a part of the action. He has helped many of us and has protected the place, but he could have warned me about the rat.
One night I was cleaning the little bar downstairs and pulling what I thought was old rags from under the bar, I was mortified to find out it was a dead, wet rat! I could not wash my hand enough. I was too petrified to scream! I remember Trixie just staring at me in shock trying to get me to speak. I just could not make a sound. I burned my hand trying to get the germs off my hand. When Trixie did see what I touched he did the screaming for me.
BTW, we use "she" for "he" in the gay bar life.

So when Hank took over Feathers took a turn for the better or worst, depending on what you were into. Hank did not trust minorities. All the workers were white and most Italian. Hank also had this thing about allowing women into the club, "it's a man's club!" he would constantly announce!
Hank did not tolerate drugs, or drug dealers- it was the 80's now and drugs were the norm, but the place was still packed. Russ and Max! I miss them they were my favorites! They were hairdressers and always dressed like runway models with clothes that you would only wear on a runway! Their hair was teased out and I remember being in awe of their individuality. I was like Natalie Wood in "Gypsy" when she meets the strippers for the first time- simply in awe. Whether drugs dealing went on in the club with be its own secret, but as much as River Edge wanted to close that bar they could never raid the club for drugs. It just did not exist and the customers knew better not to try to deal or do anything in the club, now the parking lot had a life of it's own and what ever happened there was fair game.

Actually, when Hank was manager we weren't allowed in the parking lot. We weren't even allowed to go to any other clubs in New Jersey. If Hank found out you went to another club, you were fired. We would have to sneak to other places and buy people's silence. After a while he just brain washed you into believing that going to other clubs took away from our business and we had to be loyal to FEATHERS.
OMG ! Our lives were full of secrets back then! Keeping secrets from our family, from Hank, from each other. Loyality became a very ugly word in my books because of Hank.

3 comments:

  1. Trixie passed away a few years back.

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  2. What a great club it was. I had so much fun and met my partner of 31 years there. Miss that place. I'm in Arizona now so perhaps one day aa visit?

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  3. Looking for a guy named Greg Mapps. He had an apartment in River Edge on Kinderkamack Road in the mid 70’s. He used to work at The Bell then Feathers. Anyone have any info about him? Lost touch with him. Thanks

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