Bar d’O: The 27 Year History of Downtown Manhattan’s Best-Kept-Secret Drag Cabaret

Article and photos by Alexey Kim

Every once in a while there comes a moment in life that changes the course of history, and 27 years ago that pivotal moment happened in downtown Manhattan’s queer night scene, when Bar d’O opened its doors. Not only has Bar d’O served as a stepping stone for many of its now-legendary performers’ careers, but it served as a shining example of how something made purely out of love can become much bigger than yourself.

A Bit of History

Once upon a time, in 1992, to be precise, Jean-Marc Houmard took over Indochine restaurant with two partners. It wasn’t long before he was approached with another business proposition by one of Indochine’s managers.

“He had a space in the West Village on Bedford and Downing that was available for rent and he wanted to do just a bar,” Jean-Marc reflects on that time.

The place was called Glowworm and it didn’t do so well (maybe because of its name?). Mr. Houmard’s partner was from Miami and a year later he decided to move back home. The pair was going to sell the lease, but then Jean-Marc decided to do the place on his own. This would be his first solo venture.