The LURE

Does anyone remember  the LURE leather bar in NYC? I wrote the article below for GMSMA’s newsletter, NewsLink, back in 2003, after my favorite leather bar closed down.

LURE

 

Farewell to the LURE

By MetalbondNYC

The LURE, New York City’s popular leather bar, closed on April 9, 2003, after nearly a decade of being the place to go for leather guys. GMSMA, the Renegades, Iron Guard and other local groups held bar nights at the LURE, and after the Manhole closed the bar became home to GMSMA’s Dungeon Demos. The LURE was also home to its own events such as the popular Pork on Wednesdays, regular rubber and uniform nights, foot fetish parties, and more.  You could shop in the Noose II store, and get your boots shined by the bootblack on duty.  The bar also popped up on HBO’s “Sex and the City,” when Samantha moved in upstairs.

The brainchild of the late Wally Wallace and bankrolled by a number of investors from within the community, the LURE (an acronym for Leather, Rubber, Uniforms, Etc.) opened in January 1994.   And while it did not actually turn a profit for its owners until several years later, leather men showed up in large numbers at the bar, which was jam packed every weekend in the early ’90s.

The LURE was a place to strut your stuff, to wear fetish attire of all kinds — leather and tall boots, cop or firefighter gear, rubber/latex, combat fatigues. Even guys dressed as gas station attendants were right at home there.  You could cruise for a hot leather daddy, collar a slave, or make out with a hot guy in the back.  And it wasn’t uncommon to see men there licking boots, torturing nipples, or even gulping down piss from beer bottles or glasses.

The bar was far from perfect — a dress code that was once enforced became somethig of a joke, as “tourists” and guys in sneakers would try to blend in with leather cops and rubbermen.  And that $7 cover charge seemed a little steep.  At least you got a ticket for your first drink.

As the rise of the Internet slowed business (who wants to schlep across town to pick up a trick when you can go online and “order in”?) attendance was way down, especially on Friday nights during the summer months.  When the Eagle re-emerged on West 28th Street, it drew many men away from the LURE, but most of the leather guys stayed.

In the end, some of the same forces that led Samantha to take that apartment upstairs contributed to the demise of the LURE.  Real estate in the Meat Market district became red hot as condos, nightclubs and restaurants started popping up like weeds.  The LURE’s lease was up, giving the landlord the opportunity to jack up the rent.  And when insurance premiums skyrocketed as well, it made the LURE’s existence at its West 13th Street location no longer finiancially viable for its owners.  There was talk of the bar relocating to a new space, but that turned out to be just talk.

Many of us will always have good memories of the LURE and the good times we had there over the years.   And we’ll also remember many of its former employees — Russ and John, the two bartenders who stayed with the bar for the whole run.  And Joey, one of the bar’s first managers, who was always there in full leather, rubber or fetish gear to greet regular customers with a smile.  And don’t forget Dominic, who with his tattoos and piercinngs was the most intimidating-looking doorman New York has ever seen.

So it’s the end for the LURE, at least for now.   It just goes to show that nothing lasts forever.  Just ask those who used to hang out at the Spike, the Altar and even the Mineshaft.

 

 

 

11 thoughts on “The LURE”

  1. I had the good fortune to going to the lure once when I visited NYC – probably 96 or so. Had what I consider to be my first real leather encounter as a sub to a clear Dom. Fond fond memories!

  2. Thanks for the memories, Metal! Yeah, the Lure was a great bar, better even than the *old* Eagle, let alone the new, leatherette version.

    And thanks for mentioning Altar, which was my all-time favorite leather bar in NYC. It only lasted about a year, because it was too far away from everything else, I guess, but it made a big mark on many of us nonetheless.

  3. It seems like it was yesterday. I only visited a few times but it was a great place to visit with friends and make new ones. Chicago was going through the same kind of changes. Yuppies moved onto Lincoln Ave and pushed the leather bars out.

  4. I miss this place. More? I miss the Spike! But John and Rusty at the LURE? Greatest when it came to “people”. One thing though, I have to laugh. The place had a “worse” reputation that the reality. We had good times at the LURE. We met good people. It was a great local bar on the week-days. And NYC is a sadder place with-out it. (One of the major reasons I left the damned hole. Wake up NYC!)

  5. Thanks for the retrospective. Does anyone know if the Pork boys are still throwing parties in Manhattan? Wednesday night “Pork” parties were always interesting for the entry level young guys that wanted to test the “full leather” scene.

  6. I do indeed remember the Lure…the bar played host to my collaring ceremony to my Sir, JM LatinMaster, and officiated by NYMaster of the (sadly now defunct) NY Renegades back in 2002. Many a Friday night was spent at the NY Bondage Club (in the triangular-shaped building across the street) followed by a visit to the Lure for a couple of drinks. I was often led from one place to the other in a straitjacket & leash ( the Tourists loved it!) lol

  7. I worked there as a bartender toward the end for about a year and a half. Great bunch of guys .. other staff and customers. Had some great times there.

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