As the novelty of the new gay bar wore off the gay clientele retreated to many of their previous haunts around town. A DJ spun the popular music found in thousands of gay discos around the nation (and in Seattle) which also included a handful of the poppier “new wave” hits that most gay bars also included among their playlists. The unique décor inside WREX included old car seats in the back, old airplane seats in the side area, and Seattle’s first music video system curated by Ted Ladd. For the first few months of it’s life WREX remained a typical 70s/80s gay bar, catering to local gay men. Johnny’s Handlebar, at the time it closed was said to be the oldest, continuously open gay bar on the West Coast. The venue, at 2018 First Avenue, was formerly a leather gay bar called Johnny’s Handlebar, located on the ground floor of a former brothel. WREX was established in Belltown, Seattle by Michael Clay, Wes Bradley, and Aaron McKiernan in the early Fall of 1979.
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