Last Ditch, the lesbian bar in Greenfield, Mass., that went viral in September after it made one night a week mask-optional, announced on Instagram Monday, Oct. 26, that it has “soft closed” and will shut down this winter unless someone takes it over.
“We need new owners ASAP, we close this winter,” the bar wrote, according to Newsweek.
The doors are now shut except for events that were already booked. The Greenfield Recorder reported that an Oct. 31 “Yuriween” night is still on, and that recurring Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday events will run until winter. The last entry on the bar’s calendar is Dec. 31.
“We have put our lives on hold to foster networks of care, resources, and a home base for organizing,” the post said. “It’s time we pass it on.”
Last Ditch’s Oct. 26 announcement, shared on its official Instagram account.
Last Ditch Is Seeking a Co-Owner or a Buyer for 10 Fiske Ave.
The bar offered two options, Boston.com reported: “Join, get trained, and take over the transition,” or a “full sale (best offer).” It puts the value of its equipment, furniture, inventory, repairs and social media accounts at about $70,000. A buyer would also take on the lease, the Recorder reported.
Jackie Matellian is the only one of the three founders still involved. Matellian, Asa Rosario and Sage Territo opened Last Ditch in April 2025 in the old 10 Forward space, with a $50,000 loan.
The plan was to turn it into a worker-owned co-op. That never came together. “We’ve been fighting since the beginning to fill out the team,” the bar said. It still has no board to run a co-op transfer.
A fundraiser had raised $21,600 by Monday afternoon, 144% of its $15,000 goal, the Recorder reported. People interested in taking over can email [email protected], Western Mass News reported.
The bar didn’t answer requests for comment from the Recorder, Boston.com or Newsweek.
How a Mask-Optional Saturday Put Last Ditch in the National Spotlight
The bar had required a KN95 “or better” at all times so immunocompromised and COVID-cautious people could come. On Aug. 31, it posted that Saturdays would go mask-optional.
“It is with love we inform our immunocompromised disabled divas we will be opening Saturday nights as mask optional,” the post began, the Boston Globe Magazine reported. The owners were behind on bills and couldn’t pay staff.
The change drew hundreds of comments, including criticism that it excluded immunocompromised patrons. The Globe also reported a threat against the venue. The bar apologized two days later.
At a three-and-a-half-hour community meeting Sept. 11, Matellian was blunt. “I never really wanted to do this,” Matellian said. “I don’t think I’m doing a very good job.”
Soe Noire, a performer and COVID-conscious activist, was one of the critics. “COVID never truly went away,” he told the Recorder. He said the Globe story “focused more on the extreme backlash than why they got the backlash in general.” Noire said he’d been getting threats and harassment. The bar defended him on Instagram: “It is neither productive, progressive, nor valiant to attack a Black patron.”
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, posted on X, “Leftism is a mental disease,” Newsweek reported. The bar then added security and closed events to the public, the Recorder reported.
Greenfield City Council President Lora Wondolowski said at the time, “I worry about their ability to weather this storm.”
A Threatened Gathering Space
Newsweek’s Oct. 27 report put the Lesbian Bar Project’s count at 36 U.S. lesbian bars, including Last Ditch. The group says there were about 200 in the 1980s and roughly 15 by 2020.
