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Your Guide to Pride in Downtown Raleigh: LGBTQ+ Owned Businesses, History, and Public Art

Downtown Voices
Rainbow River Portrait by Chris Facey (2023)

DRA celebrates love, acceptance, and accessibility in support of our LGBTQ+ community, not just during Pride month, but every day. The LGBTQ+ community has deep roots in Downtown Raleigh and we have an ongoing commitment to foster a downtown that embraces diversity & equality.

We encourage you to carry the spirit of Pride throughout the year by supporting LGBTQ+ safe spaces and actively championing inclusivity, human rights, and respect; because you can’t spell community without unity.

If your downtown business is LGBTQ-owned or otherwise belongs in this guide, please email communications@downtownraleigh.org to voluntarily opt-in.

DTR Businesses With Pride

These businesses elevate, embrace, and create space for the LGBTQ+ community year-round. *Voluntarily identifies as a LGBTQ-owned business

Art by SRG*

17 E Martin St.

Blackbird Books & Coffee*

323 Blake St.

Copperline Plant Co.

23 W Hargett St.

CrossFit SERVE + Wellness*

239 Fayetteville St.

Current Wellness

219 S East St.

DECO

207 S Salisbury St.

Edge of Urge 

215 East Franklin St.

The Green Monkey*

215 S Wilmington St.

Guest House

420 S Bloodworth St.

Registered through Visit Raleigh's LGBTQ-Welcoming Hotels Program

The Hightide Salon + Suites*

309 W Martin St.

The Hippo Wine Bar + Shop*

123 E Martin St.

Junction West

310 S West St.

Libations 317*

317 W Morgan St.

Longleaf Hotel & Lounge

300 N Dawson St.

Registered through Visit Raleigh's LGBTQ-Welcoming Hotels Program

Munjo Munjo

20 E Hargett St.

Pallbearer Vintage*

111 E Hargett St.

Unorthodox Vintage*

206 S Wilmington St.

Urban Pothos*

714 W Peace St.

Find more LGBTQ+ friendly businesses according to the LGBT Center of Raleigh here and here 

 

Events

Check out The Green Monkey or Raleigh Pride’s calendars of events. 

 

Public Art

All Are Welcome | Luke Buchanan 

Poole’s Diner, 428 S McDowell St.

Legends Pride 

Legends, 119 S Harrington St.

Love is Love | Casey O'Connel

237 S Wilmington St.

North Carolina Pride

Trophy Pizza & Brewing, 827 W Morgan St.

Out and About | Kalee Calhoun

Urban Outfitters, 400 W Martin St.

Rainbow River

Market Plaza, 227 Fayetteville St. 

Stonewall Sports | Lisa Gaither

Libations 317, 317 W Morgan St.

 

History

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Downtown Raleigh’s Warehouse District was primarily composed of industrial buildings for production and storage. But as manufacturing facilities began to close post-industrial boom, the gritty Warehouse District saw its coal yards and factories quickly replaced with art studios and third spaces for Raleigh’s underground communities.

Color started to return to this austere side of town during the 1970s-1980s with a blossoming arts scene and the opening of several LGBTQ+ bars, such as The Capital Corral (The CC). Following a pattern seen in urban centers nationwide, discriminatory laws pushed LGBTQ+ individuals together allowing them to find safety and solidarity in numbers. Eventually, some familiar names began to enter the scene like The Berkeley Cafe in the 1980s, and Legends by the 1990s. Around this time, White Rabbit Books & Things, now The Hightide Salon + Suites, also opened and served as an LGBTQ-focused bookstore for two decades.

The Capital Corral, now Vita Vite Art Gallery and Wine Bar

Today, the Warehouse District is still recognized for its alternative, arts-centric personality. CAM Raleigh and 311 Gallery frequently center their exhibitions around diversity, uplifting LGBTQ+ perspectives through art year-round. Libations 317, Sorry State Records, Junction West, Side Quest Game Lounge + Bar, Videri Chocolate Factory, and others also stand out for their recurring gatherings and offerings aimed at Downtown’s LGBTQ+ community members. 

Urban neighborhoods have long served as havens for LGBTQ+ communities, offering rest and refuge while providing a stage for social progress, and downtown’s Warehouse District embodies this legacy.

 

Resources