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50 years later, Dallas’ oldest woman-owned bar is still going strong

The matriarch of Dallas bars credits her patrons and staff for the Dallasite’s longevity.

This week marks the 50th anniversary of a classic local dive bar. The Dallasite has had three different locations in East Dallas, but there’s been one constant over those five decades: owner Rhonda Nail.

After talking with Nail, you quickly understand why she’s a successful neighborhood bar owner and has become something of a legend in Dallas. Heaping praise on her customers and staff, she’s both humble and proud with a balance of grit, grace and style.

(Illustration of Rhonda Nail is in the story here. She is quoted, saying)  "I’ve never had a...
(Michael Hogue)
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Nail, an Oak Cliff native, bought the Dallasite with her husband James Nail in 1973. It was then located on Gaston Avenue near Fitzhugh. At the time they married, she also owned the Office Lounge, in the spot that’s now The Goat.

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After 16 ½ years of marriage, Nail lost her husband. “He died in the Office Lounge. He had a brain aneurysm and fell to the floor,” she tells me, pausing with emotion. After his death she couldn’t bear to keep the bar, so she sold it.

“But I kept the Dallasite,” Nail said.

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The Dallasite is one of the oldest continuously-operating bars in Dallas, and it’s the oldest bar in the history of the city that’s owned solely by a woman.

(Michael Hogue)
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In 1995, the city rezoned the Gaston location, prohibiting alcohol sales. So Nail moved the bar to Ross and Hall. The Dallasite resided in that location for 12 years until the landlord sold the building, forcing another move.

Nail then moved the bar to its current location on the corner of Bryan Street and Fitzhugh, catty-corner to the venerable Jimmy’s Food Store. The building used to house Hall’s Hobby shop.

(Michael Hogue)

If you walk into this 3,500-square-foot dive bar on a Friday or Saturday night, you’ll hear boisterous, sometimes drunken karaoke. The talent ranges from excellent to awful — but the crowd cheers the singers on either way. There’s no judgment here. “We clap for everyone,” Nail says, with a smile. “We call it Dallasite Idol.”

There’s plenty of seating around the rectangular central bar. People are dancing, playing darts, playing pool or hanging out with libations on the spacious patio. There’s a shuffleboard table that’s not quite level. The puck moves a lot faster throwing from the south to the north, but that adds to the challenge and the charm.

And you won’t find a single patron who doesn’t have the utmost respect for the bar’s owner.

(Michael Hogue)

“I could tell you stories for hours,” Nail says. “But what I really want to talk about is my staff. Without them, I’m nothing.”

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And the Dallasite staff feels the same way about her. Bartender Travis Bentley tells me why the bar is much more than your typical neighborhood watering hole.

(Michael Hogue)

During the Dallasite’s first 44 years, Nail tended bar. Six years ago, she decided to stop bartending and hired bar manager Calvin Bow to take the reins. “Calvin is great, and he deserves so much of the credit,” Nail says.

(Michael Hogue)
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When I ask Rhonda if being a woman bar owner comes with any unique challenges, she says, “Back in the day it did, but it’s better now. Back when my husband died, all these beer men told me, ‘Rhonda, you just need to sell this place.’ But that only made me more determined.

“Those old beer men have come and gone, and I’m still standing.”

(Michael Hogue)
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The Dallasite serves food and is located at 4822 Bryan St. It’s open from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m., seven days a week.

Sarah Blaskovich contributed to this story.