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 [[3rd Avenue South]] at [[36th Street South|36th Street]].
[[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. It operated briefly as '''Eunice Crabtree's Cut Rate Delicatessen and Bait Shop''' before closing for good.
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==
* ''Birmingham City Directories'', 1985–1993
* Robinson, Carol & John Archibald (December 17, 1995) "David Painter: Victim of the perfect murder." ''Birmingham News''
* 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