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Get comfortable and discover yourself at Galveston’s 23rd Street Station Piano Bar


By Forest Riggs |

For more than a decade, businessmen and bar owners Todd MacKenzie and Tom Fiero have been perfecting their formula for developing and operating successful businesses on Galveston Island. The pair purchased 23rd Street Station several months ago and in the past eight months followed their successful and proven business model of “making people feel comfortable and welcome.â€

“Over the years,†says silver-haired MacKenzie, “Galveston has been very good to us. It is home and although we could have chosen to live anywhere, the Island is our choice. It’s simple, we just want to give back to the community that has given us so much.â€

And give back, they have. Their “bar history†started in 2003 with the opening of Cocktails lounge in the downtown Strand area, then located at 2411 Mechanic Street, where it was very successful and a great hangout for locals.

Desiring more space and an opportunity to expand the offerings, Mackenzie and Fiero closed Cocktails and took on a new business adventure, the Pack and Ship store located at 527 21st Street. The shipping store was much needed in the downtown area and had remained a good investment for the pair.

Next came Lucky Lounge, located at 8305 Stewart Road. It was here that the two really began to expand upon their idea of a local, neighborhood-type bar where all felt safe and welcomed. It wasn’t long before word spread about the Lucky Lounge and over time remains an institution and inspiration for other clubs that have since dotted the area.

Lucky Lounge has been successful because it opens the doors to one and all, whether gay, straight, young, old or trans. With excellent and dedicated staffing (some of which are also working hard at 23rd Street Station), Fiero and MacKenzie continued to seek a way to give back to the Island.

Having fond memories of Cocktails, the duo set out to find a location for yet another friendly, neighborhood-type bar — no hype, nothing fancy, but rather a good, clean bar where friends of all ages and types could gather for drinks and fun times.

Having listened to the locals (and certainly to the LGBTQ community), the two felt they had a pretty good idea of what was wanted and needed. Older folks in the community wanted a place to go where they could sit, visit, catch-up, listen to music, watch shows and simply relax. Millennials, mostly college students, wanted a place to hang out and share good times and do so in a fun, welcoming environment.

Taking this and other factors into consideration, Fiero and MacKenzie seized upon word that 23rd Street Station’s (The Station), was on the market. With the involvement of Joe Tramonte Realty, the deal was done and 1706 23rd Street would become 23rd Street Station Piano Bar, with a major overhaul and a revamping of image, décor, community involvement and variety in entertainment offerings. So eight months ago, the journey began.

Owning and operating a bar, especially a bar in and for the LGBTQ community, is no easy task.

“There are always hurdles in every business,†MacKenzie points out. “The key is to get good, trustworthy staff, keep them happy and listen to your customers. Being able to adapt and change for the needs of your patrons is very important.â€

Bringing along Victoria Lewis as bar manager was a coup in itself. A proven manager and beloved friend for over 18 years, Fiero and MacKenzie knew she was capable, competent and certainly up for the task of managing the new bar. Starting in June, Lewis took on the role of observing, listening and sharing ideas with Fiero and MacKenzie.

When September rolled around and operating in high gear, Lewis began the task of maintaining the footprint of the original 23rd Street Station while changing and improving image and environment.

With the support of the owners and her own abilities, Lewis has proven she is right for the job! Though small in stature, the manager has no problems calling the shots, directing staff and seeing to it that all patrons have a great time. She has worked hard and, at times, painfully to create a new “feeling†and image at 23rd Street Station Piano Bar.

Along with Lewis are beloved, longtime Station bartenders, Chris and David. Loyal as ever, they quickly got on board with the new owners and management and have worked tirelessly to keep old patrons happy and welcome newcomers.

There is also very sweet Daniel and the always smiling and friendly Leslie, working behind the bar to keep drinks flowing, conversations lively and making sure things are running smoothly.

Another excellent move for the “new†bar was bring a Galveston friend to all, Jim Greaser, on board. Greaser, a long time businessman with multiple talents, signed on and has brought a great many new ideas, bar patrons and entertainment to the club. Be sure and catch him with his Tubular Tuesdays.

Variety is the spice of life, they say. Mackenzie and Fiero have certainly listened to the community and, with the addition of their own wants and attributes of what a “club for all†should be, have mixed things up a bit when it comes to pleasing the bar patrons.

“We are older, our friends are older and sometimes we like to go out, have drinks and call it a night earlier in the evening,†says MacKenzie. “Many folks have to work early the next morning. I think it is important to offer a good time early as well as late.â€

Speaking of a good time, the pair listened to the wants of several older members of the LGBTQ community and added a piano bar. A baby grand has been installed near the enlarged stage, with more seating, a new AC system, new lighting and a revamped patio bar and garden. For many of the patrons that recall gathering around the piano at the old Briar Patch in Houston, it has been a fun walk down memory lane. Mackenzie and Fiero have put together some great talent to play for and charm the Happy Hour crowds. It is a good feeling to see millennials stroll up to the piano and request a Sinatra tune or other music from an era that was almost lost to “modernization.â€

Work on the patio bar has been fruitful (to say the least) and the improvements and alterations continue. The patio bar area is charming, rustic in a “beachy†way and very inviting. The foliage is trimmed, rearranged and gives patrons a feeling of being in a sub-tropical setting combined with all the closeness of your favorite neighborhood pub. Of special interest to Galvestonians is the large, orange “sofa†at the front of the patio. “You might recognize that chair,†manager Lewis says. “We found it while looking around. It is from the original Under Current bar.â€

Sure enough! Visitors will remember the large, overstuffed orange chair from that long-gone bar.

With input from the staff and community, Mackenzie and Fiero’s hard work and effort to re-vamp an existing bar and create a new image has paid off.

The bar scene in Galveston offers a little something for everyone. In 23rd Street Station Piano Bar, Mackenzie and Fiero have created a club that offers what they enjoy as well as what the LGBTQ community has asked for: a place that’s always clean, always friendly, safe and welcoming.

And there’s never a cover. Check it out.

23rd Street Station Piano Bar’s weekly line-up

Monday: Texas Hold ’Em Poker with two or three playing tables. Super drink specials on well drinks and domestic beer. 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday: Tubular Tuesdays hosted by Jim Greaser. It’s a fun time, chock full of old movie clips, TV shows, vintage commercials, drink specials and more. 8 p.m. ’til midnight.

Wednesday: Ladies Night celebrates the ladies in the community. Special prices on well drinks and domestic beer. Pianist Laura Magers, 6 ’til 9 p.m.

Thursday: Movie Night with bartender Chris, featuring lots of classics and LGBTQ-interest movies. Check Facebook page for each week’s movie title.

Friday: Piano Bar. Top-notch “ivory ticklers†bring show tunes, classics, ragtime and a variety of easy listening selections. Happy Hour prices. 6 ’til 9 p.m.

Saturday: Live entertainment with music, comedy, vocalists and more. Acts vary weekly. On August 18, Elvis will be in the building!

Sunday: Tea Dance, the old fashioned kind with drink specials, retro music and dancing. 1 ’til 4 p.m.

Forest Riggs, a resident of Galveston is no stranger to the adventures of life. A former educator and business owner, he enjoys Island life and all that comes with it. He says he is a “raconteur with a Quixotic, gypsy spirit.†He has written for several newspapers and magazines as well as other writing pursuits, including a novel and collection of short stories.

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