We’re Broadway performers who moved from NYC to Colorado Springs to open a gay bar. We love CO Springs’ small-town vibe but miss New York.

We decided the city needed a dedicated queer space downtown.

It was a silly little COVID idea that snowballed. People got really excited, and it took off without us.

We got a great deal on a rental space because of the pandemic. We did all the work ourselves.

We thought ICONS would be a sleepy, little cocktail piano bar. But it exploded when we officially opened on Halloween in 2020.

Josh: It was a party. And it’s been a party ever since.

We were able to staff ICONS with professional singers. It’s very New York. We wanted to bring what we were passionate about to Colorado Springs and share it.

In that first year, we were voted best new bar and best overall bar. We couldn’t believe it.

We were expecting pushback

Josh: People warned us. They said we shouldn’t call it a gay bar. They liked our concept but said it wouldn’t work.

But it was just the opposite. We didn’t get one piece of hate or pushback. To see it be so celebrated was rewarding.

If you told teenage me that a gay bar would be voted best bar in Colorado Springs, I would have said you were crazy.

Colorado Springs was extremely conservative when I was growing up. There was an amendment passed in the nineties that essentially allowed businesses in the state to discriminate against gay people.

That’s part of the reason I knew I had to get to New York.

But I’ve found such beauty in this full-circle moment, coming back to Colorado after the experiences I had here in high school and being able to offer the community a bright, celebratory space.

John: The number of changes we’ve seen happen for people because of our space has been amazing. People have come out to their families and to themselves because of ICONs.

We still go back to New York regularly

John: We’re still involved in the art scene. We’re always going back and forth between Colorado and New York for performances or auditions. I’m in the city almost once a week.

My sister works for an airline, so I can hop on standby flights and fly free. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to afford it.

As long as we have the opportunity to live this double life, I think we’ll keep doing it.

Josh: We tend not to stay in the same place too long.

John: We love new chapters. I would love to live in a million different cities in my lifetime.

Josh: But having bought commercial property and committed to ICONS, we’ll certainly never leave Colorado Springs permanently.

John: We will always have an anchor here. We love, love, love it.