{"product_id":"herbs-lounge-durham-north-carolina-gay-bar-70s-and-80s","title":"Herb's Lounge (Durham North Carolina Gay Bar\/70's and 80's)","description":"\u003ch2\u003eHerb’s Lounge — Durham, North Carolina Gay Bar Tee\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBefore Durham had a large, visible LGBTQ+ nightlife scene, there was \u003cstrong\u003eHerb’s Lounge\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLocated at \u003cstrong\u003e228 Hunt Street\u003c\/strong\u003e in downtown Durham, Herb’s was opened by \u003cstrong\u003eHerb Rigsbee\u003c\/strong\u003e, an important figure in the city’s early gay nightlife. Rigsbee had previously run the bar in the basement of the old Washington Duke\/Jack Tar Hotel, which had become one of the few reliable gathering places for gay men in Durham during the 1960s. When the hotel was demolished, Herb created a place of his own.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy \u003cstrong\u003e1978\u003c\/strong\u003e, Herb’s Lounge was firmly established as a gay bar. It was a wonderfully unpretentious neighborhood joint: \u003cstrong\u003ebeer, brown-bagging, a jukebox, dancing, and a mostly male crowd\u003c\/strong\u003e that included all ages and types.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd it had a reputation for cruising. Period gay guides described Herb’s as \u003cstrong\u003e“cruisy,”\u003c\/strong\u003e with an older crowd and some motorcycle and leather clientele. One former regular remembered sitting at the bar with \u003cstrong\u003ean attorney on one side and a gravedigger on the other\u003c\/strong\u003e—which may be the best possible description of a neighborhood gay bar.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat mattered in 1970s North Carolina. Herb’s wasn't simply someplace to have a beer. Bars like this created a place where gay people could \u003cstrong\u003efind one another, socialize, cruise, exchange information, and build community\u003c\/strong\u003e in a city where being openly gay still carried considerable risk.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRigsbee later operated another gay venue on Ninth Street, but Herb’s Lounge remains part of the earliest documented history of queer nightlife in Durham.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Printify","offers":[{"title":"Black \/ S","offer_id":67468346228894,"sku":"26402536005297222741","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Heather Navy \/ S","offer_id":67468346261662,"sku":"30561870430672484716","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Navy \/ S","offer_id":67468346294430,"sku":"52198306901630030331","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Black Heather \/ S","offer_id":67468346327198,"sku":"32669081174862357563","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Black \/ M","offer_id":67468346359966,"sku":"18935004235351625502","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Heather Navy \/ M","offer_id":67468346392734,"sku":"23153128830929741947","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Navy \/ M","offer_id":67468346425502,"sku":"16766702386023252905","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Black Heather \/ M","offer_id":67468346458270,"sku":"15905937599157011419","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Black \/ L","offer_id":67468346491038,"sku":"36976695359706002489","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Heather Navy \/ L","offer_id":67468346523806,"sku":"25181405575031312737","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Navy \/ L","offer_id":67468346556574,"sku":"51855332957435385800","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Black Heather \/ L","offer_id":67468346589342,"sku":"13224459705285904465","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Black \/ XL","offer_id":67468346622110,"sku":"70292364152684815780","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Heather Navy \/ XL","offer_id":67468346654878,"sku":"24099676846427394183","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Navy \/ XL","offer_id":67468346687646,"sku":"21670845579300944967","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Black Heather \/ XL","offer_id":67468346720414,"sku":"16663410211104539134","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Black \/ 2XL","offer_id":67468346753182,"sku":"24768974044702588528","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Heather Navy \/ 2XL","offer_id":67468346785950,"sku":"75328962204681850568","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Navy \/ 2XL","offer_id":67468346818718,"sku":"28256091444327184977","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Black Heather \/ 2XL","offer_id":67468346851486,"sku":"25969708222358288529","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Black \/ 3XL","offer_id":67468346884254,"sku":"23177117644092632846","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Heather Navy \/ 3XL","offer_id":67468346917022,"sku":"18392826271234928928","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Navy \/ 3XL","offer_id":67468346949790,"sku":"27111365606282721761","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Black Heather \/ 3XL","offer_id":67468346982558,"sku":"32545111286209497295","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0660\/1893\/4942\/files\/16588527619335090681_2048.jpg?v=1790948738","url":"https:\/\/brankobrand.com\/products\/herbs-lounge-durham-north-carolina-gay-bar-70s-and-80s","provider":"Branko Brand","version":"1.0","type":"link"}