Mabel's Beauty Shop & Chainsaw Repair: Difference between revisions

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'''Mabel's Beauty Shop & Chainsaw Repair''' was a gay-friendly nightclub in [[Birmingham]]. It first opened in the early 1970s at 318 [[14th Street South]], then, after a few years, moved to 3719 [[3rd Avenue South]].
[[File:1986 Mabels ad.png|right|thumb|375px|1986 ad for Mabel's from ''The Kaleidoscope''.]]
'''Mabel's Beauty Shop & Chainsaw Repair''' was an all-night gay bar at 318 [[14th Street South]] near [[UAB]]. The bar was opened by [[John Elder]] in [[1986]]. It was most likely inspired by "Mable Peabody's Beauty Parlor & Chainsaw Repair" which was opened by Margaret Honeycutt in Denton, Texas in [[1979]].


The bar's second location was divided into two spaces: The "Chainsaw Repair" side had a country-western theme while the "Beauty Shop" side was more urban.
On [[January 3]], [[1989]], the bar was the scene of an unsolved [[List of Birmingham homicides in 1989|robbery-murder]] in which bartender [[David Painter]] died from a bullet to the head and money was taken from the cash drawer. Elder reopened the next day, offering a special on Bloody Marys, but the club closed soon thereafter.


The bar closed soon after an unsolved January [[1989]] [[List of Birmingham homicides in 1989|robbery-murder]] in which bartender [[David Painter]] died from a bullet to the head and money was taken from the cash drawer.
Elder then opened a different bar, [[Eunice Crabtree's Cut Rate Delicatessen & Bait Shop]], in the former [[Ed Salem's Drive-In|Ed Salem's No. 2]] location, near the [[Bowl Lo-Mac]] bowling center on [[3rd Avenue South]] at [[32nd Street South|32nd Street]]. A new version of Mabel's opened briefly in [[1992]] with an address of 3207 3rd Avenue North, sharing the building with Eunice's. Both bars were closed down before [[1993]].


==References==
==References==
* "David Painter: Victim of the perfect murder." (December 17, 1995) ''Birmingham News''
* ''Birmingham City Directories'', 1985–1993
* Robinson, Carol & John Archibald (December 17, 1995) "David Painter: Victim of the perfect murder." ''Birmingham News''


[[Category:Gay bars]]
[[Category:Gay bars]]
[[Category:14th Street South]]
[[Category:14th Street South]]
[[Category:1986 establishments]]
[[Category:1989 disestablishments]]
[[Category:3rd Avenue South]]
[[Category:3rd Avenue South]]
[[Category:1970s establishments]]
[[Category:1992 establishments]]
[[Category:1990s disestablishments]]
[[Category:1992 disestablishments]]

Latest revision as of 11:52, 4 July 2017

1986 ad for Mabel's from The Kaleidoscope.

Mabel's Beauty Shop & Chainsaw Repair was an all-night gay bar at 318 14th Street South near UAB. The bar was opened by John Elder in 1986. It was most likely inspired by "Mable Peabody's Beauty Parlor & Chainsaw Repair" which was opened by Margaret Honeycutt in Denton, Texas in 1979.

On January 3, 1989, the bar was the scene of an unsolved robbery-murder in which bartender David Painter died from a bullet to the head and money was taken from the cash drawer. Elder reopened the next day, offering a special on Bloody Marys, but the club closed soon thereafter.

Elder then opened a different bar, Eunice Crabtree's Cut Rate Delicatessen & Bait Shop, in the former Ed Salem's No. 2 location, near the Bowl Lo-Mac bowling center on 3rd Avenue South at 32nd Street. A new version of Mabel's opened briefly in 1992 with an address of 3207 3rd Avenue North, sharing the building with Eunice's. Both bars were closed down before 1993.

References

  • Birmingham City Directories, 1985–1993
  • Robinson, Carol & John Archibald (December 17, 1995) "David Painter: Victim of the perfect murder." Birmingham News