Minko said he’s proud of what he created: a place where LGBTQ+ people in Harlem can go to feel “automatically accepted, understood, and embraced.” By June 2016, he officially opened Alibi Lounge’s doors. Though Minko’s primary career was in law, he had experience opening bars in partnership with others.
“ I walked about 20, 30, blocks, and I didn’t see anything that represented the LGBT image whatsoever.” I fell in love with my street,” Minko said. Minko, who is originally from Gabon, opened Alibi after moving to the neighborhood in 2015. The Harlem-based establishment is reportedly the last Black-owned gay bar in New York City. “I was wondering, was it worth it?”īut after a prolific GoFundMe campaign and what he describes as a renewed sense of responsibility, Minko said Alibi Lounge is thriving, even in the middle of a pandemic. “I was 75% done with the business,” Minko said to NowThis. When the coronavirus temporarily shuttered businesses across the country, Alexi Minko was nearly ready to give up on his bar, Alibi Lounge.
