Jason Cox and Joshua Borin met for the first time last week at Front Street Café. They shared drinks over a wood block table, flanked by fronds behind the restaurant as part of Out in Fishtown. Colleen O’Hara, a neighborhood resident, started the LGBT happy hour this year.
“It’s not like a typical ‘scene’ thing,” Cox said. “It’s a good opportunity to meet people socially and naturally.”
He walked from his house to the café and enjoyed the warm sunshine that’s lingered through September.
Borin made the trip from Delaware. He helps organize Our Night Out Wilmington, a similar LGBT gathering on the third Thursday of the month. He said he wanted to come to Out in Fishtown to support his friend, O’Hara.
O’Hara moved to Fishtown two-and-a-half years ago with her fianceé, Jacqueline McDevitt. While O’Hara runs her business selling real estate at Space and Company, McDevitt coaches lacrosse and has started a tailgating business called Phan Cave.
Their busy schedules, and desire to connect with other LGBT people in the rapidly growing neighborhood, led to the creation of Out in Fishtown.
“Running those two businesses ourselves, it was like, when do we have time to go out?” O’Hara said. “This was kind of like our excuse to say, ‘You’re going out in Fishtown at least once a month to go out and enjoy ourselves.’”
The first event took place in May, also at Front Street Café. The June event was held at Martha, another bar in the area. Out in Fishtown took a summer break in July and August, then returned to Front Street Café Sept. 22.
O’Hara’s in talks with other local establishments about hosting. Front Street Café works well because it has a large outdoor space, she said, noting 150 people came to the first event.
“I feel like I walk down the street [sometimes] and I don’t know anyone,” O’Hara said. “For me, a lot of the people that are here are new to the area. My idea for this was, let’s bring everyone together, how can we help each other, but also support each other through all of the events that we have.”
O’Hara said people can drop their business cards into a fishbowl at each happy hour, and she would like to start featuring local businesses on Out in Fishtown’s Facebook page. She also runs an Instagram account with the handle @visitfishtown to show off why she loves the neighborhood. Highlights include its openness, restaurant boom and walkability.
For more information, visit the “Out in Fishtown” page on Facebook.