Back Door (Eau Claire)

In early 1990, the Breadline -- a struggling cafe, restaurant, and music venue in Eau Claire -- found a new lifeline. Clay Crowley, a former bartender from Downtown Express, offered to underwrite the monthly rent in exchange for using the space as a bar at night.  Crowley promised that the new dance club would be in business "at least eighteen months."

On March 1, 1991, this new establishment opened as Back Door. The name was a nod to its discreet rear entrance, as the original Breadline sign remained on the front of the business, while the bar's entrance faced a back parking lot.

The Back Door quickly gained recognition within the LGBTQ community, first appearing in the June 20, 1991 InStep Magazine Bar Guide.

The bar became a hit, and Crowley took over the lease in April 1992. He held a "name the bar" contest, and the winning entry was Scruples. The new name debuted in the August-September 1992 InStep Magazine Bar Guide.

For a period of time, the business was confusingly listed under both names -- Back Door and Scruples -- at the same address. The last listing for Back Door appeared in the April 1993 Instep Magazine Bar Guide.

Since 1996, Scooters has operated in this space.

Note: 409-417 Galloway Street, known as the Drummond Business Block, has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since October 10, 2007 and the State Register since January 19, 2007. The Block was built by meatpacking pioneer David Drummond (1849-1918.) Drummond was a real state mogul, a furniture manufacturer, and one of the founders of the Eau Claire Gas Light Company.  The Block, constructed in three phases from 1879 to 1884, contains four storefronts.