‘Be yourself. Live in your truth’ Solera, the only gay nightclub in the Bronx, officially opens

The Boogie Down Bronx celebrated Pride on Saturday, kicking off with a parade on the Grand Concourse, followed by an all-day festival on Westchester Avenue near 149th Street, and an after party at the grand opening of the only gay nightclub in the Bronx.

Solera officially opened its doors June 18, but celebrated its South Bronx debut on June 20, with bottle specials and scantily-clad staff wearing leather straps and dollar bills. Up a narrow staircase and on the second floor of 125 St. Ann’s Ave, laid a large, ample space with hi-top seating, tables, couches and a full bar, where you might find a dancer twerking for cash.

Girls danced with girls, boys danced with boys and everyone danced with each other, while smiling and gagging in a fun-loving and welcoming atmosphere.

“ It’s been quite amazing to see that this space is here for Bronxites so they don’t have to travel outside of the Bronx in order to be around fellowship, in order to be around their people,” Dey Armbrister said, who grew up in Brooklyn but currently resides in Manhattan. “When it comes to spaces that are Black and brown, especially when it’s queer, it’s bringing us back into the forefront.”

Kayla Simone Fowler, Thank You For Coming Out

Thank You for Coming Out

Chrissy the Dancehall King was the performer for the evening, keeping the crowd going at Solera’s Saturday night. Photo by ET Rodriguez

Solomon Simmons (center) with his friends at Solera’s grand opening. Photo by ET Rodriguez

At Saturday’s grand opening, 99% of the crowd was Black and Hispanic, and owner Audrey Dejesus touts her own identity as an important component of that representation, as a half Puerto Rican and self-proclaimed third-generation lesbian.

A long-standing advocate in the LGBTQ+ community, Dejesus started her nightclub career in the ‘80s when she was 13, and her older sister was dating a DJ at the now-shuttered 310 ½ bar on 149th Street. Dejesus recalled threatening to tell their mother of her sister’s secret affair if she wouldn’t take her along. Her sister would reluctantly agree and relegate DeJesus to the back of the club with the coat check.

“So I was checking the coats in there while everybody was chilling out and hanging out,” DeJesus said. “I was there for a few years, my first taste of the nightlife and actually coming out, my identity.”

She went on to work several positions at different spots throughout Manhattan, Chap & Rusty’s, Stingray’s and the Doo Wop Club, all closed, with the latter now being Larry Flynt’s Hustler Club on 51st Street.

Despite working with the Department of Education for 30 years, Dejesus has always been connected to the club world. In 2006, she purchased Nina’s Lounge on Bruckner Boulevard in Throgs Neck, but locals often called police with noise complaints.

“I was getting harassed. I got tired. So, I let it go,” DeJesus said.

Girls dance with girls, boys dance with boys, and everyone dances with each other at Solera. Photo by ET Rodriguez

She later converted a warehouse into a nightclub on Commerce Avenue, but couldn’t secure a liquor license and had to let go of that place as well, but impermanence is the life cycle of NYC nightclubs.

Dejesus was on the hunt for a new spot and in the meantime, she became a member of Community Board 1 and also runs a food pantry in Hunts Point. After being swindled and much red tape and misfortune, Dejesus was finally able to secure the space in Port Morris, formerly known as Blissful Kreations event space.

In light of her community work and being the only gay nightclub in the Bronx, she received a certificate of merit from Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson.

Above all, Dejesus aims to secure a safe and open-minded space for anyone and everyone to enjoy life without restriction or pretense.

The crowd inside Solera on Saturday night. The newest club in the Bronx. Photo by ET Rodriguez

The outside of Solera nightclub where patrons walk up a narrow staircase to the second floor of 125 St. Ann’s Ave. Photo by ET Rodriguez

“They don’t have to worry about who they are. They could be whatever they are in a place where they could be comfortable,” she said.

As a mix of people danced with sweat-glistening skin, fellow club-goer Solomon Simmons reminded people, “Be yourself. Live in your truth. – If you’re gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersexual, asexual, live your true colors.”

To start, Solera will be open Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, with another special after party following NYC Pride on June 28.

Reach ET Rodriguez at etrodriguez317@gmail.com. For more coverage, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!