How a gay-friendly country sports bar is thriving in Montrose

Pooja Lodhia Image
Friday, December 20, 2019
How a gay-friendly country sports bar is thriving
The owner says he has a lot of experience dealing with stereotypes. So, why not spend some time breaking them? ABC13's Pooja Lodhia takes you inside the bar people say feels like home.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- George Komar has a lot of experience with stereotypes.

"I was gay when it wasn't cool. I was gay when it was cool. I was gay when it was dangerous to be gay, I'm still gay when it's cool again," he said.

So, why not spend some time breaking stereotypes?

Komar opened a gay country sports bar in Montrose 15 years ago. Now, it continues to expand.

"They said, 'It's never going to work. Gays do not like sports bars. No gay is going to go to a sports bar.' Well, we made money from day one," he said.

Located in the heart of Montrose on Fairview Street, George, the bar, is known as a place where people can visit and feel like family.

"Going to George is like being at home," wrote a Facebook user in his review of the bar. "They have something that most bars lack, a genuine interest in the customer."

Chef Michele Free offers steak night on those evenings, starting at 6:30 p.m.

"It's a neighborhood bar, among everything else. So, I think people who walk by here, who live in the neighborhood, they're very welcoming," she said.

When Komar isn't behind the bar serving up drinks, he's making it a mission to ensure his customers are in good spirits and having a good time.

"Especially this time of year, a lot of people are alone," he said. "If you want to go out and get a bite to eat, you can come here and be alone, but you got 30, 40 people with you, so you're not alone."

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