PickleBack 2
Former names | Competition Visions All About Eve Club Bedrock Steel Blue The Bar |
|---|---|
| Location | 711 Rigsbee Avenue Durham, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Owner | Renee Batchelor |
| Type | Gay bar |
| Website | |
| pickleback2 | |
PickleBack 2 is an LGBTQ bar in Durham, North Carolina. It is located at 711 Rigsbee Avenue near Durham Central Park and the Foster and West Geer Streets Historic District.
History
[edit]The one-story, flat rood brick mid-century modern building was built in 1959 and originally housed the GMAC Insurance Corporation.[1]
In 1991, it housed a gay bar called Competition that featured a patio deck, outside bar, bbq pit, and a sand volleyball court.[1] Over the years, the building housed multiple queer-owned establishments, including Visions and All About Eve.[1] It briefly housed a hip hop club called Club Bedrock that was not an LGBTQ establishment.[1] Following Club Bedrock, Theresa Harris purchased the building and founded a new queer club called Steel Blue, which she originally operated from a building along US-70 before purchasing 711 Rigsbee Avenue.[1] A local queer couple, Renee and Roe, purchased the building in 2011 and operated The Bar until 2021.[1] Renee Batchelor rebranded the establishment, now called The Pickleback 2.[2][3]
In 2024, the bar began opening at later times due to a lack of cliental in the area as a result of increased building construction with new developments in the neighborhood.[4]
A man was shot and killed outside the bar early in the morning on September 25, 2026.[5][6]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "711 Rigsbee Avenue". Open Durham. Durham, North Carolina. Retrieved October 6, 2026.
- ↑ "Queer History of Durham". Open Durham. Durham, North Carolina. Retrieved October 6, 2026.
- ↑ "The Pickleback Bar". Discover Durham. Durham, North Carolina. Retrieved October 6, 2026.
- ↑ Bokun, Ben (July 16, 2024). "'Nightmare': Downtown Durham businesses frustrated with nearby construction impacts on sales, parking". WNCN. Goldsboro, North Carolina. Retrieved October 6, 2026.
- ↑ "Man dead from downtown Durham bar shooting". WRAL-TV. Raleigh, North Carolina. September 25, 2026. Retrieved October 6, 2026.
- ↑ "Durham police investigating deadly shooting near PickleBack 2 Bar". WNCN. Goldsboro, North Carolina. September 25, 2026. Retrieved October 6, 2026.