FIZZ owner Jeff Murtha and FIZZ promoter and hostess Chaselyn Wade Vance.(Photo by Caroline Savoie)
Plano bar to test out ‘Castro Nights,’ a queer-centric happy hour
CAROLINE SAVOIE | Contributing Writer
carolinelsavoie@gmail.com
Tucked away in West Plano Village, a covert and colorful lounge called FIZZ is gearing up to cater to a new clientele: LGBTQ business professionals with a thirst for fun (and liquor).
With the bar looking to bring in more customers and Plano’s queer community looking for a place to gather, bar owner Jeff Murtha said he’s hoping to build a symbiotic relationship with the LGBTQ community north of Interstate 635.
Murtha and trans woman Chaselyn Wade Vance, the bar’s promoter and hostess, said that they’re going to offer “Castro Nights,” a happy hour named after San Francisco’s gayborhood, every Monday for four weeks. If that goes well, they’re going to flip the bar to cater to queer folks seven nights a week.
“If this works out, I’m going to have the first gay bar north of 635,” Murtha said. “This is going to be for the queer professionals. We’ll have a strict business casual dress code, craft cocktails, handmade food and Tito’s as our well vodka.”
Vance said that she’s marketing the happy hour similar to marketing for her hometown gay bar in Kentucky. “It’s just called The Bar, and if you know, you know,” she said. “That’s how we want Castro Nights to be — a well-known secret.
“It’ll be this hidden-away safe haven for the queer community.”
Murtha’s vision for FIZZ is classy and colorful, with murals painted by Vance. (Photo by Caroline Savoie)
Murtha, who worked at Studio 54 in New York during its heyday and owns Studio 80 in Fort Worth, said that he wants LGBTQ folks to feel at home in FIZZ. His attention to detail, affinity for multi-colored lights and experience working with disenfranchised communities are all a part of bringing that vision to life, he said.
Murtha’s vision for the bar is classy, colorful and eye-catching.
Coolers strewn about the bar hold dozens of bottles of top-shelf champagne. Cantoni furniture decorates the lounge and its patio. Murals of tropical plants, painted by Vance, bring a Miami-esque feel to the North Texas bar. Multi-colored lights dance on the bar, tables and walls; even the toilets have lights in them.
“This is a place where our community can come to get away from the rest of the world and socialize with like-minded people and allies,” Vance said. “It’s going to have a speakeasy vibe, an offset little spot where people can go without being gawked at.”
Vance and Murtha have worked together for decades, and this is their latest joint venture. They said they chose Monday nights to test the community’s interest without pulling business away from the weekend crowd.
An invitation-only VIP happy hour is going to be held at FIZZ, 3310 Dallas Parkway, Ste. 115, on July 29, and the bar will be open to the public after 9 p.m., with Vance on hand to host. It’s your first chance to check out what Vance and Murtha say is “the ultimate craft cocktail and champagne lounge for the LGBTQ chic and business professionals.”
The grand opening will be on Aug. 5, with live entertainment and music by DJ Chase.
For information visit FizzPlano.com. The club is now hiring for all positions; for information call 972-403-3499.