Welcome to Schmitty’s Bar. A nameless bar was christened this weekend to coincide with its grand opening in the city of West Hollywood. The new neighborhood gay bar located at 8737 Santa Monica Boulevard was packed last night with patrons who have been anticipating something new, more intimate, and a little loungy.
Owners Jay Krymis and his wife Michel were at the grand opening being congratulated by friends fans of the shuttered Fubar located in mid-WeHo. They both owned Fubar which did not survive the pandemic and are currently working on bringing a new bar to the space at 7994 Santa Monica Boulevard.
Schmitty’s Bar West Hollywood – WEHO TIMESA topic of conversation this past weekend was the name of the nameless bar. Jay tells WEHO TIMES they cemented the name just hours before opening yesterday at 6 p.m. It all began as Dolly Shine on its liquor license. The Swallow was floating around earlier this week and came close, but the owners decided on Schmitty’s Bar. “We were playing with many names, but Schmitty’s Bar sound like a friendly neighborhood bar which is what I want for this space,” said Krymis. “The Swallow was more of a nod to Fubar, which kind of put me in a box. I like Schmitty’s Bar.”
Schmitty’s Bar West Hollywood – WEHO TIMESThe bar took over a year to open in West Hollywood due to red tape, permits, supply chain issues, and more red tape. It had a soft opening sans a name last weekend. Krymis looks back at all the tribulations he faced to open the bar and seems satisfied with the end results.
Krymis officially announced the closing of FUBAR Weho on October 10th, via an Instagram story. The WeHo dive bar known for hosting events like BFD Thursdays, Dick’s Den, and Adonis Lounge L.A., closed after roughly 24 Years at that location. It never opened after the COVID-19 shutdown.
Schmitty’s Bar West Hollywood – WEHO TIMESIn that same Instagram story, Krymis asked for prayers to the Bar and Nightclub Gods that he’d be able to open as soon as Halloween weekend, but Hallow’s Eve came and went, and the Great Pumpkin was nowhere in sight. The bar remained closed for a few weeks longer until last weekend.
The bar may be brand new but it has an old feel and has been described as similar to the bar in St Elmo’s Fire, which thrilled Krymis. Elements give a nod to LGBT history, which include memorabilia from its dearly departed sister FUBAR.
Schmitty’s Bar will open from 6pm-2am and expand its hours in the near future.
To learn more about Schmitty’s Bar, follow them on Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/schmittysbar/
A slight variation of the name “Smitty’s” would be fun I think – in reference to the bartender on Will and Grace.
A ridiculous name. It should have been named “Rebar” (as an homage to Fubar) or perhaps “Hancock” for the neighboring side street. Even “Smitty’s” would have been better than “Schmitty’s.” Well, all will be forgiven if they have a cheap happy hour!
Great. Now we have Shitties, Club Fart. Whore Bar. Icky’s. The Scabby. And Fiesta Cantina.
The name of the bar is ripe for parody.