CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Charlotte gay bar recently mired in controversy has shut its doors for good.
The Bar at 316's last post on Facebook was on August 18, 2024, indicating it would be the bar's final night open. The announcement was rather sudden, with no previous discussion about the closing shared ahead of time.
The closing of the Bar at 316 comes more than a year after owner Jeffrey Edwards was accused of forcing drag performer Shelby Savage to leave a performance, calling her a "freak" and telling her to leave. WCNC Charlotte learned groups and members within Charlotte's LGBTQ community have called him out on his behavior in the past. One local performer named Erica Chanel said he had even used a racial slur against her.
Several performers and organizations in Charlotte called on the LGBTQ community to boycott the Bar at 316., including Charlotte Pride, Charlotte Black Pride, and the Charlotte Gaymers Network. Edwards never responded to the boycott until months later, in a post on his personal Facebook page that claimed he had an issue with "drag performers with beards" at the time of his confrontation with Savage.
The Bar at 316's post did not indicate why it was closing. However, WCNC Charlotte reviewed a recent civil court case filed against Edwards in Mecklenburg County involving the bar.
The suit, filed by Vision Ventures of Carolina in June 2024, claimed that Edwards was behind on nearly $30,000 of rent, failed to pay late fees, and didn't get a plate glass door fixed. Court records show an attempt to serve Edwards with the suit was unsuccessful, and that a motion was filed to demand The Bar at 316 vacate the house it was located in along Rensselaer Avenue. However, records showed Vision Ventures had voluntarily dismissed the case without prejudice, meaning a case against Edwards could be refiled again.
WCNC Charlotte has requested information from Vision Ventures and has asked Edwards for comment as well.
The Bar at 316 was also the last place that Andy Tench was last seen alive. The Belmont man was celebrating his 31st birthday at the bar, but never made it home. His car was later found abandoned in Monroe, and an arrest was made. 26-year-old D'Shaun Montrell Robinson claimed he met Tench at the bar and had sex with him. However, he said that at some point, Tench died, and Robinson reportedly told investigators he dumped Tench's body in the trash.
During a phone call from jail, Robinson told Tench's mother that Tench didn't suffer when he died.