LA CAMIONERA – INSIDE HACKNEY’S NEW LESBIAN BAR

Hi, Alex! Congratulations on La Camionera's success! What were the early stages of the idea and how did it become a reality?

I’d been doing regular club nights since I moved to London almost a decade ago. In January I got the opportunity to do more of a low-key night in a bar, and they let me do my own drinks menu and tapas, which is something I’d always been interested in. The initial marketing around that was really hyped and it went viral after hundreds of people turned up.

From there I just thought, if there was any way we could raise the money, it was going to be because it went viral and on the news. La Camionera started as a pop-up night on Broadway Market a few months ago, and since then we’ve had a massive community fundraiser and lots of friends and family getting involved – so now here we are!

Why do you think spaces like this, made for specific marginalised communities, are so important?

There aren’t many totally independent places that have been set up by a bunch of friends and a wider community. I think you can feel that when you come here.

What did you learn from the challenges you faced while setting up the bar?

Although we somehow managed to raise so much money, having first-hand experience trying to set up a space really shows you why there aren’t that many spaces like this in the first place. Despite all the challenges, we’ve managed to pull through so far with massive support from the community and beyond.

Looking back at launch night, what did you enjoy most?

It was so nice to go outside and see so many people, including people I didn’t know.

What advice would you give to similar businesses just starting up?

Just to trust yourself and don't fall into the trap of thinking that the way something has been done before is the way it should be done now. Creative solutions can often solve more problems than logical solutions.

Describe the most exciting part of this journey so far.

Beginning to see how we’re developing day to day. The staff are all superstars and can run the place without me, which helps me feel like I can take a tiny step back after working so hard all year. It’s so nice to stop by on my day off and enjoy the bar as a punter with some friends. I also love when I bump into people here and I love making new friends – it’s deeply enriched my social life.

How did you feel when you realised La Camionera was a success? 

It caught the zeitgeist through an insane amount of luck. I think people have wanted an alternative to a club space for a while, but could never really imagine it.

What’s the story behind the name of the bar and its Spanish influences?

We wanted something funny and Spanish. La Camionera means 'female truck driver' and it's also slang for lesbian. The bar feels very European, especially in the summer and in the garden – that was kind of the idea. I put this huge fig tree in the garden, cos there’s one at my girlfriend’s mum’s house in Spain. There are little things like that all about.

Are there any outfits you saw which stood out at the launch? What would you recommend people to wear to the bar?

One of the bartenders was wearing a cropped Spanish football shirt! I would suggest wearing something revealing as it gets hot during summer.

What makes a great gay-bar night out for you?
Smooth, nice music playing, but you can hear each other and it’s not super intense. Nice drinks and food, kind of casual and just hanging out with friends, basically. I love an old-school gay bar where they’re playing camp classics – they feel a bit like a museum.

If you could have tapas at La Camionera with any 3 people from the past or present, who would you choose?
Sade, Seal, and Serge Gainsbourg!

What does the future hold for La Camionera and what events would you love to host?
We’ve been so focused on just getting off the ground that we haven’t really been thinking about that yet, but I know we’re super excited to do parties here and more events with the community to give back to everyone supporting us. We have loads of people that want to do book clubs, supper clubs, DJ sets and exhibitions, too.

Watch this space!