— A new LGBT bar has opened its doors on Fayetteville Street in downtown Raleigh.

Joey Eshleman, who manages Work., said the bar's location on Fayetteville Street not far from the state Capitol is a "huge win" in light of issues including the controversial 2016 House Bill 2, which required that people use bathrooms in schools and other government buildings that match the gender listed on their birth certificates.

Work. opened in late 2019 at 112 Fayetteville St. in the former home of Capitol City Tavern.

Ruby Deluxe, another LGBT bar in downtown, has an entrance on the basement level of 415 S. Salisbury St.

"We are owned the same company (Oak City Group) that owned Capitol City Tavern. They just saw a need in the market and wanted to try something different," Eshleman said. "There's just so many places you can go when you are part of the straight community. You can go and have a great time and you're not in the basement or being pushed away from everything else. So, we kind of wanted to bring it out and put it on Fayetteville Street and be like, 'We are just having a good time like anyone else does in their bars.'"

Lauren DeAlto, sales and marketing director of Oak City Group, said the bar has attracted a diverse clientele.

"It's not just an LGBT bar. It's inclusive of everybody, and our clientele over the last couple weeks since we've opened really represents that," DeAlto said.

"We like to think of ourselves as 'straight-friendly,'" Eshleman said with a laugh.

In addition to its large dance floor, Work. is also about giving back to the community. The bar has committed to donating a percentage of sales each month to the LGBT Center of Raleigh. The bar is also planning to do service projects to help the Raleigh community.

Find out more about Work. on this week's Out and About podcast.