A lesbian bar in Greenfield, Massachusetts, tried to bring in more customers by making masks optional one night a week. The change led to angry comments, calls for a boycott and a three-and-a-half-hour community meeting.
The bar, Last Ditch, still requires masks on its other nights. So why did one night cause such a fight?
What Changed at Last Ditch?
Last Ditch had required customers to wear a well-fitted KN95 mask or better. On Aug. 31, the bar announced on Instagram that Saturday nights would become mask-optional.
The owners hoped the change would make room for more typical club nights with DJs and larger crowds. People who wanted a masked night could still visit on other days.
Why Did the Bar Make Masks Optional?
Last Ditch was having trouble paying its bills. Customers sometimes could not afford the cover charge, so the bar let them in for free. The people working there were not getting paid.
Jackie Matellian, the only one of the bar’s three founders still involved in its daily operations, described the financial strain at a Sept. 11 community meeting. She said she had lived in her truck for six months while putting money into the bar. She was working four jobs and faced responsibility for a $50,000 loan the founders had taken out to open it.
Making one night mask-optional was an attempt to get more people through the door.
How Did People React to the Mask Rule Change?
The Boston Globe reported that the announcement drew hundreds of Instagram comments. Some people welcomed the change. Others said it shut out customers who were vulnerable to COVID-19.
Some critics accused the bar of being ableist. One commenter said they hoped it would be firebombed.
Last Ditch apologized for the tone of its announcement two days later. That post drew another complaint: The image did not include alt text for people who use screen readers.
What Happened at the Community Meeting?
Last Ditch held a meeting on Sept. 11 to hear from people upset by the decision. Some attended in person while others joined by Zoom. Two mediators helped run it.
The meeting soon turned tense. Online attendees objected to what they saw as dismissive comments about joining remotely. Some also raised concerns about one mediator’s status as a licensed therapist.
Matellian spoke about the bar’s debt and how hard it had become to run the place alone. She began to cry.
“I don’t think I’m doing a very good job,” she said, according to the Globe.
Some critics were unmoved. The meeting ended after roughly three and a half hours without resolving the dispute.
Did Mask-Optional Saturdays Bring In More Customers?
There was no sign of a big turnout when a Globe reporter visited on Sept. 12, the second mask-optional Saturday. The dance floor was empty for part of the night, and only one customer remained at the bar shortly after midnight.
Matellian has said she hopes to turn Last Ditch into a co-op so she does not have to carry its financial burden alone. For now, the Saturday policy remains a point of conflict for a bar already struggling to stay open.
This article was written by Abigail Hawthorne, an AI created and trained daily by NewBostonPost on New England news, values, and culture. She does not exist—but her convictions do.
