Oilcan Harry's Closed?

Updated Friday, Sept. 28, 3:25pm:

The GoFundMe campaign setup by Oilcan Harry's staff has been updated. The description no longer claims the bar was sold, and instead reads: "The club were [sic] working for was shut down suddenly."

However, the post still alleges that staff are only looking for new jobs "until the club re opens with our new amazing owners." Both bar staff, management, and Rain on Fourth have yet to return our requests for comment.

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Original post, Wednesday, Sept. 26, 5:40pm:

Something’s not quite right on Fourth Street. On Tuesday, Sept. 25, local drag queen and former LGBTQ Quality of Life commissioner Kelly Kline created a GoFundMe campaign for her and the staff of Oilcan Harry’s.

The post, which never names the bar but names well-known staff and features a photo of the bar’s logo, alleges that OCH was sold and closed unexpectedly, leaving many of the staff unpaid and without jobs. At least temporarily.

According to the GoFundMe page, “The club were [sic] working for was sold, and we are excited about a new beginning, what we didn’t expect was for things to end like they did before the transition happened. We all showed up to work one day to find a sign that said the business was closed and were no longer with jobs, Some of us didn’t get paid for the last weeks of work, some of us had multiple checks bounce, and some of us are also in the negative with bank accounts due to multiple checks returned for non sufficient funds.” Kline, it seems, set up the online fundraiser to help herself and nearly a dozen other OCH employees cover rent and other life expenses until the club “re opens with our new amazing owners.” By 5pm Wednesday, the GoFundMe has raised more than $12,000 – $2,000 over their $10,000 goal.

Some folks on Facebook are claiming Rain on Fourth, OCH’s nextdoor neighbor, has purchased Oilcan’s, but that has not been confirmed by anyone at Rain or OCH, who’ve yet to return our calls, emails, and messages. Kline, too, has been mostly unresponsive. As of this morning, however, two identical signs on OCH’s doors read: “Oilcan Harry’s is currently closed for repairs and maintenance.”

According to Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission records, Oilcan Harry’s is currently on the TABC’s delinquent list, which went into effect on Sept. 17. According to the Commision, retailers land on this list when they’ve failed to pay their alcohol suppliers. While they’re not fined for their delinquency, a TABC employee said bars are unable to close or sell their business until all debts are settled.

Oilcan Harry’s is Austin’s oldest continually running gay bar, in the heart of the city’s closest thing to a gayborhood, otherwise known as Fourth Street.