David Cooley, the founder and owner of The Abbey Food and Bar and The Chapel at the Abbey, has listed both West Hollywood businesses for sale. Less than a week after Lisa Vanderpump’s PUMP Restaurant left West Hollywood, an anonymous tip points to the listing of The Abbey WeHo and The Chapel in Marcus & Millichap of Brandon Michaels Group, a real estate agency based in Encino.
The listing of both spaces is described as “a generational purchase opportunity to acquire one of the world’s most iconic nightclubs and restaurants, The Abbey and The Chapel at the Abbey, including its tangible and intangible assets with all branding and branding rights to the businesses, and trophy West Hollywood real estate. ‘The Abbey’ business, a fee simple interest of 686 N Robertson Blvd, and ‘The Chapel at The Abbey’ business with its interest in the lease at 694 N Robertson Blvd.”
Photo collage via Brandon Michaels Group Real Estate AgencyThe Abbey is known as a world-renowned bar, restaurant, and event venue located in the heart of West Hollywood. It is listed as “one of the most popular and iconic gay bars, both in the United States and globally, known for its diverse clientele, lively atmosphere, and regular events and theme nights. The Abbey has built a loyal customer base over the years and is a staple in the LGBTQ+ community. Since its opening in 1991, the restaurant and bar has steadily built a global reputation as the premier nightlife destination and has amassed the awards to support: “Best Gay Bar in the World” from Logo and MTV, “Best Gay Bar in Los Angeles” from LA Weekly, LA Weekly Reader’s Choice, and Time Out Los Angeles, “Best Nightlife in Los Angeles” from USA Today, among so many others. In 2016, The Abbey expanded to occupy its neighboring parcel to the north, rebranding the property as The Chapel At The Abbey. Both businesses are included in the sale, financials are available upon request.”
David Cooley sold a majority of his stake of The Abbey to hospitality and entertainment company SBE Group in 2006. According to reports SBE paid close to $10 million for a 75 percent stake. Cooley stayed on as President. SBE Group planned to open additional Abbey bars in popular gay destinations across the country, but those plans never panned out. Cooley bought the Abbey back in 2015, a year shy of the Abbey’s 25-year-anniversary. The Abbey recently celebrated 33 years.
Cooley also listed his home for sale in L.A.’s historic Hancock Park neighborhood back in March. Cooley purchased the brick structure designed by architect Henry F Withey for $1.9 million in 2001. The home is widely known for hosting several fundraisers throughout the past four decades.
Attempts to reach David Cooley for comment were unsuccessful as of the posting of this piece.
To view the full Brandon Michaels Group real estate listing of the Abbey and The Chapel at the Abbey, click on the link below:
https://www.brandonmichaelsgroup.com/686nrobertsonblvd
It needs to be a coffee shop again
$24 for a drink! Is rediculous!
As long as I keep all those bathroom stalls I’m fine I can always count on those BJ and a quiet Monday evening
I’ll bet he’s bailing on California
I hope David Cooley takes a bow gracefully and he doesn’t try to make this about minimum wage, or West Hollywood policies as his reasons for throwing in the towel, because the city of West Hollywood has been more than generous with him and it has supported his business in ways it didn’t have to, like the failed Out on Robertson street closure that benefitted his business alone and the ridiculous closure of the the alley next to The Chapel, which he uses for storage. That’s a public street and should be open to the public. If he wants to… Read more »
The city may have helped in the past, but the people running it NOW suck and suck hard. This is about their politics and ruining the city, and I hope he clarifies it abundantly.
“ us drama”?
I don’t have the drama involves you as you don’t on the Abby anything else in this town…
I love the drama and I revel in it I hope it’s gonna be a long drawn out drama!
Nowhere in this article or in the listing does it state that The Abbey is closing. People need to calm TF down.
At least not yet. All depends on the buyer.
Um….I, like a lot of other people, I use to eat, drink and shop in West Hollywood at least once a week. Not anymore. And it has really nothing to do with Covid-19. It’s really much more about what Gertrude Stein allegedly said about her birthplace, Oakland, California: “There’s no THERE there.” West Hollywood now, seems to be all about greed, insensitive, ugly mega-development and a creeping straight gentrification that is sucking the life out-of once fun and uninhibited “Boy’s Town ” Rest in peace!
Land is so valuable in WeHo. It makes me wonder if the property will be redeveloped into another multi story development. Pump is closed. They would just need the property in between the two as well.
It probably will be torn down and re-developed a nice set of apartments would be nice there so people can just walk down to the boulevard catcall call and bring hot guys upstairs that would be actually perfect ….right now it’s just a cluster of this that another
Another nail in the coffin of the gayborhood. K&Q Cantina just closed as well. Probably sold the developers who bought the Factory, who have been waiting for greater control of Robertson so they can build their massive luxury hotel. Cooley will likely sell to them as well. Once that hotel gets built, the gayborhood will start to erode. All the gay bars will be concentrated on one side of Santa Monica and the landlords of those bars will ultimately want to lease their properties to businesses which are more likely to appeal to (likely mostly straight) wealthy guests of the… Read more »
Wow, just unlimited baseless speculation from you. Let’s concentrate on facts.
Loved Abbey but the phone thefts were getting out of hand. Plus all the annoying Bachelorette parties plus the psudeo tough str8 guys trying to pick fights with gay clinete. Weho has gone to sh*t. Rip people who think that area is somewhere worth living.
Save the Abbey! Otherwise WeHo may
end being up like BH or Santa Monica at night…dead….and just retail stores and beauty stuff.
I want The Abbey. I’ve been with the Club 32 years now.
Perhaps Cooley is leaving Los Angeles for his native Las Vegas which is on the rise in Hollywood. Alas all the old West Coast Gays have dug new dens in Palm Springs or Puerto Vallata. Or perhaps he is going to live on a boat near David Geffen who is quite nautical these days. .
That’s interesting. I moved to LV 2 years ago and there is more and more gay bars and events going on here. Las Vegas. The new Viva Las Vegas. The new Diva!
He’s over California and weho bs
Is Cooly leaving Los Angeles and going to live life on a boat ?
The actual listing on the Brandon Michaels real estate website doesn’t say the word gay or mention it being a gay nightclub and the photos show something that looks more of a straight nightclub with female dancers on the bar. I’m shocked that no one has noticed that the listing is “straight washed” for international investors who might not feel comfortable. It’s almost like the listing is in compliance with Florida’s “don’t say gay” bill.
You mean they didn’t state the obvious? The Awards section flat out calls it the best gay bar in the world, the best gay bar in Los Angeles, and gay bar of the year. You’d have to live under a rock and you don’t have any business purchasing The Abbey if you don’t know it’s gay, or can be tricked into thinking it was straight because they forgot to mention on the front page. Literally SMH.
Someone could buy it all up including Chapel and Pump properties. Tear it all down. Nice big lot of prime real estate to build something brand new.
That’s so sad. Some things in WeHo should be preserved. Otherwise it will just be like everywhere else.
Well that would depend on the owners of Pump and Chapel wanting to sell rather than lease. That’s a big if.
That is exactly what is happening.
The developers who bought the Factory have been waiting to more fully control Robertson before building their massive luxury hotel there. They want Robertson closed off to car traffic so it can be a place for travelers to walk, shop, and stay in their hotel.
They actually should just make it athe house so the queens can just go there and get their rocks off and have it like a revolving door and cut to the chase and instead of $25 drinks they should just pay $20 go in the bathhouse get the rocks off come back out it ..would just save people the trouble as the point in going to the Abea’s to pick up a hot guy to go home with May as well cut to the chase!