Three Sisters Tavern, sometimes abridged as Three Sisters and nicknamed "Six Tits",[1] was a gay bar and strip club in Portland, Oregon, United States. The bar was founded in 1964 and began catering to Portland's gay community in 1997 following the deaths of the original owners. The business evolved into a strip club featuring an all-male revue. Also frequented by women, sometimes for bachelorette parties, Three Sisters was considered a hub of Portland's nightlife before closing in 2004.
Three Sisters Tavern
Six Tits
1125 Southwest Stark Street in 2015; formerly occupied by Three Sisters Tavern, the space now houses Scandals, a gay bar.
John P. Katchis (d. 1964) and Georgia Lykos Katchis (d. 1997); Athanasios "Saki" Elftherios Katsavopoulos (d. 2010) and Sotiria "Sandra" Katchis Katsavopoulos
Three Sisters Tavern opened in 1964 as a family business.[2][3] John P. Katchis and his wife Georgia owned and operated the business until his death four months later (1964) and her death in 1997.[2][4] The couple were survived by their three daughters, one of whom, Sotiria "Sandra" Katsavopoulos, along with her husband Athanasios "Saki" Katsavopoulos, acquired ownership and began catering to Portland's gay community, eventually turning Three Sisters into a gay bar and strip club.[2][3][5]
The bar was located at 1125 Southwest Stark Street and featured an all-male nude revue, a dance floor, and shows.[6]The Portland Mercury described it as an "institution of stiff drinks and stiffer male dancers",[7] where "hot men perform theatrical and acrobatic stripteases on stage, then get naked and wag their penises in your face".[8] Dancers often were costumed as angels, businessmen, construction workers, cowboys, police officers, or United Parcel Service (UPS) delivery men.[8][9] After Three Sisters closed in 2004, some of the featured dancers began performing at other Portland venues, including Jefferson Theatre.[1]
Three Sisters catered both to gay men and to women,[9] who sometimes attended as part of bachelorette parties. The Oregonian described the "bachelorette bunnies" who used to frequent this bar as well as two others: Silverado and the Viewpoint. The paper's Lee Williams wrote:
Hippoty-hoppity they go – these fuzzy, suburban-soft little critters jump all over Stark Street and the Viewpoint running wild to celebrate one last night of 'Sex in the City' singledom. They crowd downtown's male strip-club stages holding dollar bills up to get a glimpse of a few last carrots before hopping down that wedding-trail home. They are particularly agile small mammals, able to hold a drink and a friend's hair while she's throwing up.[10]
The corner of Southwest 12th Avenue and Stark Street in 2015. The building once housed Three Sisters Tavern in the space now occupied by Scandals, a gay bar.
In their book Secret Portland, Oregon: The Unique Guidebook to Portland's Hidden Sites, Sounds and Tastes (2003), Ann Carroll Burgess and Linda Rutenberg called Three Sisters "the hub of Portland's gay bar nightlife", offering a "great" dance floor and "impressive" entertainment.[6]The Portland Mercury's Katie Shimer called the bar "one million percent fun" and said, "Whatever your fetish, the strippers deliver ... Make sure you stuff your pockets with singles, 'cause you'll be spending at least a good hour at the rack."[8] Similarly, the Seattle alternative weekly The Stranger said the venue was "perhaps the funnest place in all the world ... especially when the fellers trot on stage in a vast array of hilarious costumes". The paper's Wm. Steven Humphrey wrote, "These nudie cuties were born to entertain, and prove it by leaping from stage to tabletop, hanging naked upside down (by the tops of their FEET!!), and if you're extremely lucky, gingerly lifting a dollar bill off your forehead with their ass cheeks. Now that's talent!"[9]Byron Beck of Willamette Week said the dancers at Three Sisters "[turned] a quaint queer tavern into the most mouthwatering of watering holes in P-town".[1] The paper also called the club "the best place to view wiener-wiggling".[12]
^ abcBeck, Byron (August 23, 2006). "The Other Jefferson Dancers". Willamette Week. City of Roses Newspapers. from the original on July 15, 2015. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
^ abc"Obituary: John P. Katchis". The Sunday Oregonian. August 16, 1964. p. 47. [John P. Katchis] owned and operated the Blue Baboon Tavern in Portland for 22 years, and the Three Sisters Tavern the last four months.
^ ab"Athanasios Elftherios Katsavopoulos". KATU. from the original on July 14, 2015. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
^"Georgia J. Katchis". The Oregonian (Sunrise ed.). January 12, 1997. p. D11.
^"The Very Best of Gay Pride 2001!". The Portland Mercury. Portland, Oregon: Index Publishing. June 14, 2001. from the original on July 14, 2015. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
^ abBurgess, Ann Carroll; Rutenberg, Linda (2003). Secret Portland, Oregon: The Unique Guidebook to Portland's Hidden Sites, Sounds and Tastes. ECW Press. p. 161. ISBN9781550225860. from the original on May 11, 2016. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
^Caraeff, Ezra Ace (November 20, 2009). "End Hits' Musical Tribute to Portland Strip Clubs (Part Five)". The Portland Mercury. from the original on July 14, 2015. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
^ abcShimer, Katie (June 16, 2005). "Vaseline Alley: A Sampler of Downtown's Gay Bars". The Portland Mercury. from the original on July 14, 2015. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
^ abcHumphrey, Wm. Steven (March 14, 2002). "Booze and Strippers Separating Them Defies Natural Law". The Stranger. Index Newspapers. ISSN 1935-9004. from the original on June 21, 2014. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
^Williams, Lee (May 27, 2005). "Cover Story: The Fauna Bachelorette Bunnies". The Oregonian (Sunrise ed.). p. 11.
^Blair, Stephen (March 7, 2002). "Right as Wain". Portland Tribune. Portland, Oregon: Pamplin Media Group. OCLC 46708462. from the original on July 14, 2015. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
^"Gossip Should Have No Friends". Willamette Week. August 9, 2006. from the original on July 15, 2015. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
External linksedit
1999 Portland Gay History Walking Tour, Gay and Lesbian Archives of the Pacific Northwest
The Death of Sex: Why PDX's gay scene will never be the same. by Byron Beck (July 11, 2007), Willamette Week
three, sisters, tavern, sometimes, abridged, three, sisters, nicknamed, tits, strip, club, portland, oregon, united, states, founded, 1964, began, catering, portland, community, 1997, following, deaths, original, owners, business, evolved, into, strip, club, f. Three Sisters Tavern sometimes abridged as Three Sisters and nicknamed Six Tits 1 was a gay bar and strip club in Portland Oregon United States The bar was founded in 1964 and began catering to Portland s gay community in 1997 following the deaths of the original owners The business evolved into a strip club featuring an all male revue Also frequented by women sometimes for bachelorette parties Three Sisters was considered a hub of Portland s nightlife before closing in 2004 Three Sisters TavernSix Tits1125 Southwest Stark Street in 2015 formerly occupied by Three Sisters Tavern the space now houses Scandals a gay bar Three Sisters TavernLocation in Portland OregonAddress1125 Southwest Stark StreetLocationPortland Oregon United StatesCoordinates45 31 21 N 122 40 58 W 45 52260 N 122 68276 W 45 52260 122 68276OwnerJohn P Katchis d 1964 and Georgia Lykos Katchis d 1997 Athanasios Saki Elftherios Katsavopoulos d 2010 and Sotiria Sandra Katchis KatsavopoulosTypeGay bar strip clubOpened1964 1964 Closed2004 Contents 1 Description and history 2 Reception 3 See also 4 References 5 External linksDescription and history editThree Sisters Tavern opened in 1964 as a family business 2 3 John P Katchis and his wife Georgia owned and operated the business until his death four months later 1964 and her death in 1997 2 4 The couple were survived by their three daughters one of whom Sotiria Sandra Katsavopoulos along with her husband Athanasios Saki Katsavopoulos acquired ownership and began catering to Portland s gay community eventually turning Three Sisters into a gay bar and strip club 2 3 5 The bar was located at 1125 Southwest Stark Street and featured an all male nude revue a dance floor and shows 6 The Portland Mercury described it as an institution of stiff drinks and stiffer male dancers 7 where hot men perform theatrical and acrobatic stripteases on stage then get naked and wag their penises in your face 8 Dancers often were costumed as angels businessmen construction workers cowboys police officers or United Parcel Service UPS delivery men 8 9 After Three Sisters closed in 2004 some of the featured dancers began performing at other Portland venues including Jefferson Theatre 1 Three Sisters catered both to gay men and to women 9 who sometimes attended as part of bachelorette parties The Oregonian described the bachelorette bunnies who used to frequent this bar as well as two others Silverado and the Viewpoint The paper s Lee Williams wrote Hippoty hoppity they go these fuzzy suburban soft little critters jump all over Stark Street and the Viewpoint running wild to celebrate one last night of Sex in the City singledom They crowd downtown s male strip club stages holding dollar bills up to get a glimpse of a few last carrots before hopping down that wedding trail home They are particularly agile small mammals able to hold a drink and a friend s hair while she s throwing up 10 Rufus Wainwright recalled accompanying Thomas Lauderdale the musician known for his work with the Portland based band Pink Martini to the club 11 Reception edit nbsp The corner of Southwest 12th Avenue and Stark Street in 2015 The building once housed Three Sisters Tavern in the space now occupied by Scandals a gay bar In their book Secret Portland Oregon The Unique Guidebook to Portland s Hidden Sites Sounds and Tastes 2003 Ann Carroll Burgess and Linda Rutenberg called Three Sisters the hub of Portland s gay bar nightlife offering a great dance floor and impressive entertainment 6 The Portland Mercury s Katie Shimer called the bar one million percent fun and said Whatever your fetish the strippers deliver Make sure you stuff your pockets with singles cause you ll be spending at least a good hour at the rack 8 Similarly the Seattle alternative weekly The Stranger said the venue was perhaps the funnest place in all the world especially when the fellers trot on stage in a vast array of hilarious costumes The paper s Wm Steven Humphrey wrote These nudie cuties were born to entertain and prove it by leaping from stage to tabletop hanging naked upside down by the tops of their FEET and if you re extremely lucky gingerly lifting a dollar bill off your forehead with their ass cheeks Now that s talent 9 Byron Beck of Willamette Week said the dancers at Three Sisters turned a quaint queer tavern into the most mouthwatering of watering holes in P town 1 The paper also called the club the best place to view wiener wiggling 12 See also editList of defunct restaurants of the United States List of strip clubsReferences edit a b c Beck Byron August 23 2006 The Other Jefferson Dancers Willamette Week City of Roses Newspapers Archived from the original on July 15 2015 Retrieved July 14 2015 a b c Obituary John P Katchis The Sunday Oregonian August 16 1964 p 47 John P Katchis owned and operated the Blue Baboon Tavern in Portland for 22 years and the Three Sisters Tavern the last four months a b Athanasios Elftherios Katsavopoulos KATU Archived from the original on July 14 2015 Retrieved July 14 2015 Georgia J Katchis The Oregonian Sunrise ed January 12 1997 p D11 The Very Best of Gay Pride 2001 The Portland Mercury Portland Oregon Index Publishing June 14 2001 Archived from the original on July 14 2015 Retrieved July 14 2015 a b Burgess Ann Carroll Rutenberg Linda 2003 Secret Portland Oregon The Unique Guidebook to Portland s Hidden Sites Sounds and Tastes ECW Press p 161 ISBN 9781550225860 Archived from the original on May 11 2016 Retrieved July 13 2015 Caraeff Ezra Ace November 20 2009 End Hits Musical Tribute to Portland Strip Clubs Part Five The Portland Mercury Archived from the original on July 14 2015 Retrieved July 13 2015 a b c Shimer Katie June 16 2005 Vaseline Alley A Sampler of Downtown s Gay Bars The Portland Mercury Archived from the original on July 14 2015 Retrieved July 13 2015 a b c Humphrey Wm Steven March 14 2002 Booze and Strippers Separating Them Defies Natural Law The Stranger Index Newspapers ISSN 1935 9004 Archived from the original on June 21 2014 Retrieved July 14 2015 Williams Lee May 27 2005 Cover Story The Fauna Bachelorette Bunnies The Oregonian Sunrise ed p 11 Blair Stephen March 7 2002 Right as Wain Portland Tribune Portland Oregon Pamplin Media Group OCLC 46708462 Archived from the original on July 14 2015 Retrieved July 14 2015 Gossip Should Have No Friends Willamette Week August 9 2006 Archived from the original on July 15 2015 Retrieved July 14 2015 External links edit1999 Portland Gay History Walking Tour Gay and Lesbian Archives of the Pacific Northwest The Death of Sex Why PDX s gay scene will never be the same by Byron Beck July 11 2007 Willamette Week Portals nbsp Human sexuality nbsp LGBT nbsp Nudity nbsp Oregon nbsp Sex work Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Three Sisters Tavern amp oldid 1220247036, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
