4149 18th Street
San Francisco, California 94114
edgesf.com

Status: LGBT Bar

Previously: Francine’s; Festus; Pipeline

In Their Own Words: San Francisco’s favorite neighborhood bar in the heart of the famous Castro District. The Edge has been a part of the community for over 20 years and is known as a place where everyone is welcome and everyone has a great time. We are open 365 days a year from noon until 2:00 am and located just one block away from the heart of the gay capital at 18th & Castro. At the Edge you will find friendly bartenders, stiff cocktails, new friends, a truly “happy” happy hour, and nightly events.

History

Summary

Name	Dates of Operation
The Edge	1987ish – present
Francine’s	1986 – 1987ish
Festus	1985
Pipeline	1982 – 1985

Details

When the Eureka Bar on the southeast corner of 18th and Collingwood closed in the early 1980s, the  spot became the last bar in the immediate heart of the Castro to “go gay” (the Jackhammer, long gone, was the last to go gay in the broader Castro area, and two other gay bars — now Churchill and Lucky 13 — have subsequently gone straight). This bar has been many things over the years, including Pipeline and Festus in the early to mid-80s and Francine’s, one of the Castro’s few lesbian bars, in the late 80s. But its longest incarnation was as The Edge.

In January of 2006, The Edge’s owner Don McMartin suddenly announced that they would no longer be holding charity fundraisers due to the City’s new requirements that bars apply for an entertainment license. The bar had been home to numerous fundraisers for beneficiaries like the AIDS Emergency Fund and Under One Roof, with events like their monthly basket contest, the Mr. Edge Leather Contest, the Krewe de Kinque’s full moon contests (“the only contest around where any asshole can win”), and others. Other bars had had easily acquired the entertainment permit and there was speculation that the owner did not want to submit to the scrutiny of inspections required for the new permit.

Then in January of 2011, McMartin abruptly announced that the bar would close when their lease was up on January 16. The new owner of the building, John Tran, claimed that McMartin wanted Tran to sign a new lease cutting McMartin’s rent in half. The owners of QBar – Rob Giljum, Tim Eicher, and Rob Cotterman – swept in to purchase it. The consortium began their nightlife career in 2005 with the purchase of the Rainbow Cattle Company in Guerneville before taking over the Bar on Castro’s space in 2009 and turning it into QBar. The new owners promised to continue The Edge’s traditions of “supporting and giving back to the community.” They took over the bar in February, keeping the name.

Issues with the entertainment permit were in the process of being ironed out; by Pride, the bar finished some basic remodeling and was ready to announce new events hosted by local entertainers like Michael Brandon, Cookie Dough, The Church Lady, and Drew Cutler. There were still some snags. Mr. Edge Leather 2011 and 2012 had to be appointed when the entertainment permit still wasn’t in place, but by 2013 the kinks were worked out and the bar was once again able to have a competition to select their Mr. Edge Leather nominee.

Cookie Dough has moved her Monster Show (originally down the block at Harvey’s) to be held every Thursday, and the bar hosts other regular and one-off fundraisers, bachelor date auctions, and other contests.

In 2012, The Edge’s bartender Gavin Thompson, a straight guy raised in Ireland, was named by Bay Area Reporter readers as the Best Bartender for 2012.

Sources

Bajko, Matthew S., “Bartender has an Edge with customers,” The Bay Area Reporter, April 5, 2012,

Bajko, Matthew S., “Edge bar ends 15 years of hosting benefits,” The Bay Area Reporter, January 19, 2006.

Barmann, Jay, “Two Castro Gay Bars Officially Close: The Edge and the Bar on Church,” Grub Street SF, January 25, 2011.

Brogan, Scott, “Boys on the block,” The Bay Area Reporter, August 23, 2012.

Brogan, Scott, “LDG rolls out mentorship,” The Bay Area Reporter, February 23, 2012.

Brogan, Scott, “Steam heat,” The Bay Area Reporter, July 12, 2012.

Brogan, Scott, “Old home week,” The Bay Area Reporter, February 21, 2013.

Causey, Paul, “The Edge – more than just fundraising,” The Bay Area Reporter, January 26, 2006.

Hemmelgarn, Seth, “SF Castro area Edge bar to close,” The Bay Area Reporter, January 12, 2011.

Hemmelgarn, Seth, “SF Edge bar to stay open,” The Bay Area Reporter, January 27, 2011.

Hemmelgarn, Seth, “New owners reopen Edge bar,” The Bay Area Reporter, February 3, 2011.

Sachet, Donna, “Full steam ahead for Pride,” The Bay Area Reporter, June 23, 2011.

Uncle Donald’s Castro Street, accessed June 6, 2014.

Location

4149 18th Street, San Francisco