A random Uber driver recently told nYne Bar & Bistro owner Kitty Kane how much he liked picking people up from the club after a night of dancing. He told her that everyone comes out looking happy, with most raving about the night they just had.
"I don't even know this guy, he doesn't have to lie to me," she laughs. "I'm humbled because we're just doing our thing here."
Even without the anecdotal evidence, folks have been affirming nYne's spot in Spokane's spotlight for more than a decade now. Inlander readers have voted it the best place to dance 10 times since the queer bar opened in 2009. If you were to subtract the danceless days of the pandemic, that's an award almost every year — cementing its place in the Best of the Inland Northwest Hall of Fame.
"We want everyone to come in and have a good, fun time," Kane says. "Everyone's welcome here."
This isn't something that just happens though. Kane works hard to ensure that the people that she hires — security, bartenders, barbacks — exude the same energy that the bar has cultivated for the last 14 years. She's also turned what was essentially an oversized garage into a place where people want to come, have a drink with their friends and dance the night away in absolute bliss.
"You can just feel it when you're in a space that is your space," Kane says, emphasizing the importance for queer folks to have a safe place, like nYne, to gather. "I want people to walk in the door and be like 'Oooh, I belong here.'"
Part of that success is thanks to her diligent DJs who do their best to match the energy of the crowd.
"We cannot make everyone happy at the same time. That's just life," she says. "But what they try to do is keep people on the dance floor and keep them happy."
Even though she's worked hard to create this dancing haven in Spokane, Kane says it wouldn't be possible without the people who still go downtown for a night out. And to the people who may not go out anymore, for whatever reason, she has a simple request.
"Come back to downtown."
2nd Place: Zola
3rd Place: Highball at Northern Quest
NORTH IDAHO'S BEST: Nashville North, Stateline
