Cheer Up Charlies owners Maggie Lea and Tamara Hoover announced Tuesday morning that their beloved LGBTQIA club has been purchased by Florida hospitality company Pride Holdings Group. The co-owners will stay on as head management and, through share acquisition, are now part owners of the publicly traded enterprise. Lea told the Chronicle that all 35 current staff members will remain employed by the bar and all booked events will continue.
“Tamara and I would not have sold if it was somebody that called us and told us that they were gonna buy the space, wipe the name, let everyone go, and change it,” Lea says. “They are not doing any of that.”
Known for drag shows, live music, community events, and colorful neon lighting, Cheer Up Charlies started as a vegan food truck in 2009, growing over the years into its Red River location as a bar and performance venue and a pillar of Austin’s queer community.
The climb was not without financial faltering. This August, the owners successfully crowdfunded over $60,000 to pay off accumulated rent debt and fees, leading to public speculation about their management practices. A week after the fundraiser ended, Pride Holdings Group reached out to Lea and Hoover.
“It’s not that we would’ve taken any deal. It’s that this particular pitch was so authentic and genuine, we really felt [that] we connected with their mission,” Lea says.
Pride Holdings Group (Previously Parliament House Enterprises Inc.) recently acquired Club One, an iconic queer nightclub in Savannah, Georgia, and Lips Chicago, a drag-centered bar and restaurant which will soon be part of their Divas DDD brand. The company also owns two LGBTQIA entertainment venues in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Johnson’s speakeasy and Aquaplex, and a Stonewall-memorializing hotel in Sydney, Australia called the Stonewall Hotel.
“Cheer Up Charlies isn’t just a bar – it’s a symbol of community, resilience, and celebration,” CEO Mike Barrett stated in the holding group’s press release. “We’re honored to carry forward its incredible legacy while giving it the resources to grow and thrive. This acquisition reflects our commitment to preserving the soul of LGBTQ+ spaces while elevating them to new levels of visibility, impact, and profitability.”
What that elevation will look like for this Red River staple remains to be seen, but Lea says she and her staff are looking forward to eventually hiring middle-management teams to assist with bar operations, booking, and marketing, in addition to implementing stabilizing payroll and management systems.
The Cheer Ups co-owners also have their eyes on expanding into new Texas locations, starting with San Antonio. Under Lea and Hoover’s operational supervision, these upcoming outposts would bear the Cheer Up Charlies name, a homage to the couple’s dog, but adapt to their respective locations.
“They all won’t look exactly like the Austin location, of course. They’ll be tailored towards the communities that they serve,” Lea says.
“We are beyond excited to join the Pride Holdings family, and enter into this new chapter of our existence,” Lea wrote in the press release. “With this transition, we will be able to strengthen our support for and to celebrate the diverse community of artists, nightlife performers, live musicians, and audiences that make Cheer Ups so special.”