The Rosemont, the scrappy queer dive bar that anchored East Williamsburg nightlife for nearly a decade, has closed and likely will not reopen. The bar at 63 Montrose Avenue announced its closure, telling patrons only to stay tuned for an official update, and the abrupt halt has left dozens of employees without reliable income.
The closure was reported by Time Out, which detailed how The Rosemont built a decade-long reputation for drag shows, DJ sets and late-night parties that ran until 4 am. The outlet also reported on the bar's message to its community. The Rosemont said it now plans to hold an official closing night blowout, a farewell event for the community.
Before it became a queer nightlife fixture, the space had a very different identity. The bar opened in 2016 as a jazz joint under former Trash Bar owner Aaron Pierce, according to Bedford + Bowery. Troy Carsen took over the space in December 2016, helping shift it toward a queer hotspot. Carsen had been a manager at Williamsburg queer anchors Metropolitan and Sugarland.
A Neighborhood Fixture With a Cramped Dance Floor
Under Carsen, The Rosemont hosted recurring programming, including Monday karaoke, per the same Time Out account. The venue itself had a massive back patio.
That Wednesday-night incubator spirit went back to 2017, when The Rosemont launched its “Oops!” drag show, after nightlife promoter Merrie Cherry approached new performers about a Wednesday party, giving early stages to local resident DJs and emerging drag queens, as Bushwick Daily reported at the time. The bar had weathered hardship before.
Closure Fallout
The bar's staff are now at the center of the closure's fallout. New York City party producer Luis Fernando — who runs Luis Fernando's World, according to Resident Advisor — is a queer nightlife and live-event producer.
The bar's closure is also part of the story. Time Out reports that a big closing party is in the works.
Part of a Broader Pattern of Queer Venue Losses
The Rosemont's shutdown is another change to North Brooklyn's queer nightlife map. The neighborhood has seen other queer nightlife spots come and go. The Rosemont had offered a queer nightlife option in the area.
A 2023 study published in Socius found a 41 percent national decline in U.S. gay bar listings between 2002 and 2019, with the research discussing geolocating smartphone apps, rising social equality and coastal gentrification, and noting that COVID-19 restrictions further accelerated closures nationwide, according to findings hosted on PMC. For now, The Rosemont's regulars are left waiting on Instagram for word of a final night, while the bar's former staff look for what comes next.
