“We see local people coming out who are not necessarily part of the gay community,” says Coco Montrese, a veteran drag queen, former Miss Gay America and “RuPaul’s DragRace” candidate who performs at The Garden. The weekend drag queen brunches are particularly popular, regularly selling out two shows on Saturdays and Sundays and attracting a large, diverse audience in a vibrant melting pot. Since opening in the Arts District a year ago, The Garden Las Vegas has grown into one of the hippest gay bars in town – Cher even stopped by. “This place was just a shell,” says the owner of The Garden Las Vegas and looks at his club on a new day of the week, his fresh blonde hair shining like the afternoon sun. Not so long ago, this green-hued nightspot and restaurant now was drab and out of date, a dormant seed that needed serious watering, waiting to bloom.
