How the West Village's Henrietta Hudson thrives as other lesbian bars shutter

How is a bar supposed to last 30 years in New York City?

At the West Village’s legendary lesbian bar Henrietta Hudson, the secret to survival has always been care — also, Lisa Cannistraci.

“She’s amazing,” Henrietta’s manager Gabriela Rosales said of the Hudson St. bar’s founder, who opened the bar in 1991 “with donated boom boxes and labor and materials” according to Henrietta’s lore, and website.

Cannistraci said part of her bar’s success is that it has been willing to evolve.

“In 1991, we were a lesbian bar, and then around, I'd say, 2012, I realized that the community was changing dramatically,” reflected Cannistraci. “ And the young kids were reclaiming the word ‘queer.’ And I love that, 'cause I'm an activist. I don't identify as lesbian. I never did. I always identified as a dyke because of my activist nature.”

Her staff agreed that Cannistraci’s openness to changing with the times has helped the bar thrive, even though many lesbian bars have closed. Today, there are fewer than 40 lesbian bars in America, down from around 200 in the 1980s, according to the Lesbian Bar Project.

“She’s one of the queer elders that I look to,” said Rosales, a former Hen’s regular who got hired to work coat check three years ago, then became a door person, and eventually became the manager.

After seeing Hen’s through the pandemic, and after 34 years running the institution, Cannistraci has recently stepped back from day-to-day operations. But business is still booming.

“ I don't go on Saturdays because it's so crowded,” said bar regular MJ Sullivan, who’s been going to Hen’s for about four years. “It is in fact, wall-to-wall like, every single weekend. There's generally a line outside.”

Sullivan, who uses they/them pronouns, prefers to go on Wednesdays, both for the Queeraoke and the lack of crowds – although even on Wednesdays, they said, the bar “is still generally pretty packed.”

So, what is Hen’s trick to it continuing to thrive now, with Cannistraci in the backseat?

Rosales believes it’s their prioritization of making everyone feel safe, comfortable, and well represented, significantly by hiring regulars who know how to make patrons feel welcome.

“There's a lot of people who aren't even out fully or at all in their homes. They can't go home, and they can't just be themselves. So just having a space where they even for a few hours can come by, unwind. They don't have to have a mask on. They get to be called what they wanna be called,” Rosales said.

“ I love it here so much,” said Naomi Moss, another former regular who now works at the bar, and also makes it her job to make patrons feel safe and confident. “I feel like being here is actually about helping those who are first coming out feel comfortable in the queer spaces.”

Now, more than ever, having a reliable community feels vital, Rosales said. Nearly a quarter of corporate sponsors have retreated from supporting this year’s NYC Pride, for which the theme is “Rise Up: Pride in Protest.”

“It’s a scary time,” said Rosales. “ I know it's really easy for the newer generation to not think about protesting or activism as much as maybe our queer elders, but we just gotta keep it going because you never know what happens at the drop of a hat.”

Politics and community aside, Henrietta’s also has something else important going for it: It’s just a really good bar.

“ We have some of the best DJs in the city,” Cannistraci said. “ At the end of the day, it's very consistent, it's genuine, it's welcoming. The talent is exceptional.”