Santillan also received a PPP loan and her landlords helped her work out a plan to stay open. She also did her best to take care of her staff, making them meals each day until they were on unemployment. Santillan tried to make the most of the lockdown period, using the time to make some repairs. It’s just bigger than most people can imagine.” “And losing Pride to anyone in this neighborhood business-wise is huge. “That to me was like the harder blow- not just COVID, it was losing Pride,” she said. Santillan’s low point came when 2020’s Pride was cancelled. Things weren’t much better for Gayle Santillan, who owns The Rail, San Diego’s oldest gay bar, which is also on Fifth Avenue. But the SRO Lounge also suffered through a severe gas leak and a car crash into the building during what was one of the darkest years of its existence. The pandemic dealt a crippling blow to all gay bars.
