4West ATL: Inside the new ‘Cheers’ for local Black LGBTQ community
Three years ago, New York-based business partners Troy Berry and Brian Clark took their first trip to Atlanta for the weekend.
They noticed the city’s diversity and came up with an idea to open a neighborhood hangout where the Black queer community could watch sports, enjoy a beer and have a space to connect with each other.
Today, they’re the owners and founders of 4West ATL, a Black-owned and -operated LGBTQ+ sports bar located in East Atlanta Village. It’s a spinoff to 4West Lounge, a bar they opened in Harlem, New York in 2021 that got its name from the address of their first penthouse.
4West ATL, which opened in July after a year of hosting pop-up events, is decorated with deer heads, wolf mounts on the wall, and evergreen wreaths on the roof. Sporting events are shown on every TV.
Customers can order shrimp, chicken wings and catfish platters from the counter or takeout window.
Wednesdays are dedicated to karaoke. Soulful Sundays has open format music selections for ages 30 and up.
This week, Berry and Clark are debuting Taco Tuesdays. Open mic Mondays for live musicians begin in February.
Berry said they wanted to open a space that felt inclusive and accessible to customers outside of the LGBTQ+ community.
“We were regularly driving past the building mornings, afternoons, evenings, saw the traffic throughout the day and lots of parking spaces in the back. It’s not where people may want it to be, but we’re the guys to take it there,” Berry said.
“It took every dollar we had, pushed us to capacity, but we never lost our joy. It’s a high seeing people smile and enjoy themselves. It’s unexplainable.”
In 2019, Berry — a banking executive — met Clark, a real estate agent, while touring commercial properties. They started dating, became a couple, and moved in together.
Their relationship lasted two years, but they remained close friends, business partners and roommates. After patronizing local businesses together in New York, they recognized Black LGBTQ+ clientele needed somewhere that tailored specifically to them.
“There was nothing Black-owned that gives you that cabin, masculine, welcome home feel. We would go into straight places that had gay events, glitter, lots of colors, followed promoters on certain days of the week, and we didn’t fit into that,” Berry said.
After COVID-19 caused businesses to shut down in 2020, Berry and Clark started chartering rides off City Island in the Bronx on Berry’s boat. Crowds were showing up, so they needed more space to accommodate attendees.
Berry’s cousin convinced them to start hosting events at their split-level penthouse. In September 2020, they held their first event at home and created a membership rewards program for their guests.
Three hundred people attended.
“We became laser-focused and just started doing it. All I saw were rideshare cars pulling up,” Berry said.
Clark, a former corporate public relations executive, said he and Berry turned intuition into profit.
“We took it seriously. We had spreadsheets so we knew our numbers and put together a whole team. We still have people that’s been and grown with us since then,” he said.
In 2021, 4West Lounge opened its first brick-and-mortar location in Harlem, New York. Clark said property owners were considering 40 other applicants before reviewing the duo’s proof of concept.
“We were serious, knew our demographic, had paperwork to share with them, and they felt comfortable with us,” he said.
Next By 4west, its sister bar in Harlem, opened in 2022 and closed a year later. The pair relocated, and spent the next 18 months working toward the opening of 4West ATL.
They insist that after being open six months, there is still work to be done.
4West ATL’s interior design will have new furniture, lighting and possible expansion into another unit in the complex. Berry said the slew of local restaurant closures doesn’t scare them.
“We try to focus on our signal and drown out the noise. I don’t know what other businesses are experiencing, because I don’t concentrate on that,” he said.
Berry and Clark are also considering franchising 4West in Miami, Houston and Los Angeles but taking their time to make 4West ATL a staple LGBTQ+ venue in Atlanta.
“This place is still not where and how it needs to look and feel, but fast things don’t last,” Berry said. “We’re just getting started, because we’re here for the long run.”
About the Author
Christopher A. Daniel is a Black Culture reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He is an Atlanta-based, award-winning journalist, cultural critic and ethnomusicologist. He previously taught courses at Morehouse College, Clark Atlanta University and Georgia State University.
