The #TLTogether series highlights the incredible people who are part of the Tenderloin’s diverse community—neighbors, small business owners, nonprofit workers, creatives, and more.
This week meet Joe Mattheisen. He is a neighbor and the bar manager at Aunt Charlie’s, the Tenderloin’s last drag bar. Joe is passionate about community service, has been working at Aunt Charlie’s since 1997, and has been a resident at the Page Hotel at Leavenworth & Turk for 25 years.
Aunt Charlie’s is both a dive bar and a precious relic, considered a historical landmark, and a symbol of the city’s vital queer and trans culture. And for so many who live and work at community-based organizations in the neighborhood, it’s the go-to spot for all occasions—birthdays, retirements, fundraisers, and happy hours “just because”.
As Joe reminisces on the pre-Covid19 days, he recites the weekly drag shows and DJ schedules by memory, and mentions the fundraisers and benefits with a bit of tenderness in his tone:
“We had twice-monthly benefits with everyone…the Night Ministry, Larkin Street Youth Center, Project Open Hand, Saint Anthony’s, the toy drive….all the funds raised through the raffle and food always went straight to benefit the organizations. It was great. Then, when Aunt Charlie’s started its GoFundMe, and we were worried about surviving…we met our goal in just seven days. People who liked the bar for one reason or another gave back to us. All that fundraising was reciprocated. It’s a really generous community we have here.”
Joe is no stranger to fundraising. In fact, he is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award for Community Service from the Grand Ducal Council of SF, a predominantly gay nonprofit known for its fundraising and charity work, as far back as the early ‘70s. Ask him about it sometime.
Originally from South Dakota, Joe was in the Navy in 1968 and had spent just shy of three years in Vietnam, during the Vietnam War. He then ended up in California—first in San Diego, then to San Francisco in the early 70s, then briefly spending some time in LA, and returning to San Francisco, where he’s since found a humble home and community.
As Joe puts it,
“In a way, I’m a homebody but I’m not. I don’t need a big place—just somewhere to shower, sleep, and relax…without spending a lot of money. The Page Hotel was in my grasp and they’ve always treated me nice. The neighborhood has been generous to me as a person.”
While Aunt Charlie’s regulars are likely to know Joe, he is a regular at other spots in the Tenderloin too. Naming Peerless Hardware, (which has been there since the ‘70s), and Marilyn Market on Turk, as two spots he frequents. What stands out to him are the “real nice people” who he sees there every time he goes there.
“In the Tenderloin, I’ve met doctors, lawyers, famous people…in the Tenderloin everyone is treated pretty much the same. Most people don’t care what you’re doing, as long as you’re nice, people are nice back.”
When asked about what he might like to see changed about the neighborhood, his wish was that people were more open-minded about visiting the Tenderloin.
“The TL used to be very social and people used to be drawn to the TL. I wish more people would come for a visit.”
Currently you can still give to Aunt Charlie’s GoFundMe page. Funds raised here, as well as money they secured through the Tenderloin Small Business Mini Grant, will go toward keeping the staff paid and the bar afloat during shelter-in-place. It will also help with renovation costs, as they make updates to the bar to meet the health requirements for a post-Covid19 reopening,
While Aunt Charlie’s remains in limbo, you can still catch drag shows outside the bar on the weekends. Check their Facebook page for details. Aunt Charlie’s is expecting to reopen either July 15th or August 15th, with service limited to 25% of capacity (approximately fifteen customers at a time), and limited hours. And as Joe adds, “good drinks at a reasonable price will continue”…
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