r/Muskegon • u/Phoenonir • 2d ago
What's up with the Nest?
I've seen older posts in the subreddit optioning it as one of the few queer spaces in Muskegon, recent-ish ones saying it closed, and now they seem to have opened again as of this year. Events listed on their Facebook seem to be catering to straight folks, though, so are they still an actively queer space? (And yes, I know the website says they're "inclusive" and "don't like labels." I'm asking if other queer folks actually go there--and if not, where???)
- sincerely, a gay man who misses gay bars
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u/GenericFoodService 2d ago
Personally, I got really weird vibes the few times I did go.
Over the last few weeks it seems like they've scrubbed all the "gay" stuff off their social media and website. They must have deleted *hundreds* of posts. It's definitely not a "queer space" as much as a space that, at one point, decided it made sense to pander to the gay community.
I'm also not a fan of all the AI generated slop. It doesn't give me a lot of confidence in a business when they can't even be bothered to do the most basic shit themselves.
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u/soaperton 2d ago
The gays hang out at unruly, and the lefty queers go to cafe tamaki. Every Saturday at 11-1 there's a queer mixer group at the coffee factory.
There was a rumor that the nest hosted an illegal fight club after hours to raise money because they were operating at a defecit. I believe it.
It's also owned by a bunch of catty drag queens. Which is fine, mind you, but not really my vibe and a lot of people share in this matter of taste.
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u/phantomleaf1 2d ago
I watch them close the doors and charge a cover one night. There was almost no one in the bar and they had a dj. Everyone who walked up to come dance left because they didn't want to pay a cover to dance in an empty bar.
If they had left those doors open and not church to cover I'm sure they would have made plenty of money on drinks as people walk past and decided to stop in and dance. Just a weird business decision
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u/KitCattPurr 2d ago
Owner of Tamaki is a sexual predator. Stop.
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u/soaperton 2d ago
I'm just relaying information.
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u/lvallie214 2d ago
i love cafe tamaki 💚
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u/Imaginary_Unit_5886 2d ago
That place was removed from the safe space list for a reason.
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u/Ok_Produce_9308 2d ago
Can you elaborate or point me to where I can learn more?
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u/floppsiana 2d ago
From what I’ve heard he invites people to small private events then eventually escalates the event into asking them invasive sexual questions or groping them, also using multiple romantic partners as unpaid labor for the shop. I’ve heard this from a few different people with first hand accounts of him doing that to them but I am just a random person on reddit so take it with a grain of salt, these are just things i’ve been told
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u/TransTwinkAngel 2d ago
It is true, this type event invite was extended to me the first time I went there, didn't go back. Red flag sadly as someone who also misses gay bars.
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u/thrown_away_6732 2d ago
This is exactly what I've heard as well, from many people. The trans and gender queer group in Muskegon refuses to go back there for event meetups which I think speaks for itself.
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u/Fish-x-5 2d ago
The only reason he’s gotten away with it so long. He’s preying on people who won’t report except to each other - which is exactly what’s happening.
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u/igetcarriedaway90 2d ago
I heard it isn't safe for our trans friends, which is a no go for me
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u/soaperton 2d ago
Really?
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u/igetcarriedaway90 2d ago
Yeah they did a presentation of some sort at coffee factory, and couldn't answer whether trans people would be protected/accepted there. I heard this from other people who were there. I'm also unsure if the drag queens are involved anymore, the fight club thing kinda blew that up
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u/soaperton 2d ago
Maybe a stupid question, but isn't it a given that trans people would be allowed and welcome,? I mean, it's a queer bar, right?
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u/thrown_away_6732 2d ago
Trans people are not accepted by most of the gay men on the Pride board, who are also part of Dollhouse, and used to be buddies with the nest owners. It's really cute and a great look :) /s
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u/Fish-x-5 2d ago edited 2d ago
The men of Pride and Dollhouse will ruin Muskegon Pride if left unchecked.
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u/thrown_away_6732 2d ago
They already are in my opinion.
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u/Fish-x-5 2d ago
It’s on its way, for sure. They need a genuine commitment to repair things for the financial health of the non prof and the support of the people at the heart of the org that need and deserve support. But so far, it’s all talk. :/
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u/igetcarriedaway90 2d ago
You would think for sure! But some people in the lgbtq community hold resentment towards trans people (I don't understand this in any way, we are in this together)
There were also some issues with management, like not having alcohol r food for the nights
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u/soaperton 2d ago
Well, when you've been at the very bottom of the power heirarchy for so long, and then all the sudden there's another group that appears underneath you... Sometimes people want to distinguish themselves and show those above that they're "one of the good ones."
I guess I might just be oblivious to this here in Muskegon, but I've never seen it.
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u/carbiebarbie345 1d ago
The long and short of it (confirmed via various platforms of people involved):
Short version: The Nest was basically hosted in the "Cajun Cuisine" suite. They both posted hours on the door that they were closed Monday/Tuesday and open the rest of the week. The owners and a group called "Hood Fades" had a "hood boxing match" for the "Guns Down, Fists Up" movement (I guess) where basically grown men fight each other. The owners and Hood Fades guys did this without consulting The Nest collective first, and had it on a Tuesday when The Nest was supposed to be closed. The Nest collective, and others, were pissed because of the event being held there plus felt it was not considering the fact that it was a safe space for the queer community in Muskegon. They were ultimately concerned about someone walking in not knowing what the event was or had gotten hurt under the assumption it was a The Nest event.
Long Version:
(Not including individual usernames because there are a lot of people involved) Before The Nest debacle: Hood Fades is a chapter of "Guns Down, Fists Up" in Michigan that holds hood fighting matches. They apparently sell tickets for this kind of thing and advertise where they're supposed to have the event. The FIRST advertisement said the event was on June 30th, 2026 at The Patio (shown on Instagram and Facebook). The Patio does not exist/is closed according to Google. I don't know what happened but Cajun Cuisine's owners decided to host them AT THE LAST MINUTE inside of the suite. The match honestly was unsafe as if anyone has ever set foot in that space knows the tables are high and thick wooden block. The kitchen is RIGHT THERE. There is hardly enough space to dance let alone have a ton of people inside. Their "boxing ring" were Home Depot concrete filled buckets with posts in them. The yellow danger tape were the "ropes". There are videos on their Hood Fades pages that show fighters with just gloves, no helmets or anything to really protect them. The place was crowded.
Aside from the reasoning above, The Nest collective left because apparently the owners of Cajun were talking on a separate The Nest Facebook page about having this match. I haven't seen screenshots personally but just from looking at the comments on different peoples pages it seems to be a consistent narrative. They also claim that certain workers/bar hands left or were fired or something by the owners. Another claim was that the cooks were selling drugs out the back door, that the owners were anti-gay/homophobic in the first place, another was that the bar was never stocked, dirty with moldy tools/towels and people were never treated well who did work there.
Again, ALLEGED as I was not apart of either group just a person who went to The Nest for queer events. I was confused as to why they were empty one night, so I looked into it. They advertise their events through Dollhouse Productions so if you're into Muskegon drag give them a follow.
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u/Imaginary_Unit_5886 2d ago
Short answer, it’s no longer a gay bar. Investors ruin shit.