BTW bar in Oceanside to close Saturday

BTW, the LGBTQ bar that opened in Oceanside two years ago during the pandemic, is closing Saturday, its owners said.

Gina Wuestmann of Rockville Centre said Wednesday that she plans to wear a full-length sequin gown on Saturday evening to BTW. The special occasion is that it will be last call at the watering hole she co-owns with her husband David.

“It will be an emotional night,” said Gina Wuestmann, 51. 

The Wuestmanns opened BTW, an acronym for “Born This Way,” on Nov. 12, 2020. The couple met by chance at Gina Wuestmann’s other bar, North Village Tavern in Rockville Centre, and launched into this new business venture together.

“I have a very large LGBTQ friend base,” she said. “Through the years, I’ve had people come into my bar in Rockville Centre and say: ‘We love that you are supportive of the LGBTQ community. Why don’t you open a bar for us?’ It’s always been a hope and dream.”

David Wuestmann, 54, added: “We were the only full-time LGBTQ-friendly bar in Nassau County. Gina and I are allies of the community. Our mission was to serve them.”

However, the pandemic had a massive impact on the couple’s business plan.

“COVID killed us. We started building right before COVID hit, then we had to stop construction,"  Gina Wuestmann said. “What was supposed to be a nine-month project became a two-year project. During all that time we had to pay rent, insurance and electric, which really killed our budget. When we picked the date to open, Governor Cuomo announced the 10 o’clock shutdown the next day. Every time we made a move, we got defeated.”

In addition to battling the numbers, the couple each worked separate jobs outside the bar and juggling everything became an issue.

“It’s taken up a lot of our time,” said David Wuestmann, who works a full-time job as an engineer and program manager at UL Solutions in Melville.

But there’s light at the end of the tunnel because the Wuestmanns are in contract with potential new owners. 

“This wasn’t just a bar. It was about us helping the community. But, now it needs to be taken to the next level,” Gina Wuestmann said.

David Kilmnick, president of Long Island’s LGBT Network, said spaces like BTW are important for the community.

“It’s nice to have these spaces where you can just be, and not have to come out every time you go out,'' he said. ''We don’t have many places on Long Island.”

Once the contracts are signed, the bar is tentatively scheduled to reopen in 2023, David Wuestmann said. 

Patron Chris Lavin, 34, from East Rockaway, said he’s been going to BTW “since Day 1.”

Lavin said he goes for its food, to “chill” at the bar, and for dancing and nighttime programming. 

“We’re all hoping the space is able to maintain its identity in that way,” he said. If not, Lavin will have to return to going out to gay bars in Manhattan, or to the closest other Long Island choice, NuBar in Farmingdale, he said.

Meanwhile, the Wuestmanns said they are going to continue supporting LGBTQ organizations on Long Island.

“Our efforts will be more on the philanthropy side, volunteering time and fundraising for the LGBTQ community,” said Gina Wuestmann. “We are not going anywhere because we have lifelong friends now.”

With Beth Whitehouse

By David J. Criblez

david.criblez@newsday.comDavidJCriblez

David J. Criblez is a reporter for Newsday's exploreLI, covering entertainment-related events from local music to stand-up comedy to festivals.