Vaxx Coalition Head Count: Portland Now Has 24 Bars That Will Request Proof of Vaccination at the Door

“A mask mandate, while welcome as an additional mitigation measure, is largely a red herring for our industry.”

clublist_Creepys_HenryCromett_4347 (Henry Cromett)
By Suzette Smith

Last week—in response to reports of increasing Delta variant cases—small business owner-initiated COVID precautions began popping up across the city’s nightlife scene.

Inspired by similar guilds in San Francisco and Seattle, several Portland bars debuted a coalition to ask their patrons for proof of vaccination at the door.

Informally, they called the group the “Vaxx Coalition.” But they didn’t really mean to adopt a catchy name, since the whole point of banding together was to gain a level of anonymity—to spread out the inevitable deluge of anti-vaxx sentiment that would roll off the internet and into their inboxes, voicemail and review pages.

“Online, people are taking a bruising,” Teardrop Lounge owner Daniel Shoemaker says. “My fear is that I’ll be the voice for it, and I’ll draw the wrath. We all come out together and it makes each of us less of a target.”

Although Multnomah County mandated indoor mask-wearing resume on Friday, Shoemaker stresses the importance and continued relevance of vaccination checks.

“A mask mandate, while welcome as an additional mitigation measure, is largely a red herring for our industry. Guests are masked only while not seated, with 90 percent of their time in our establishment spent maskless. So it might heighten awareness, but it clouds the much larger issue at the moment.”

Fifteen bars put their names on the list Friday, stating they would require proof of vaccination for indoor service. The terms for outside service remain unchanged.

By Monday, the list had grown to 24. Shoemaker says he’s now starting to hear from local restaurants that want to join up.

As of tonight, here are the bars of the Vaxx Coalition:

Aalto, 3356 SE Belmont St., 503-235-604, aaltolounge.com.

Bang Bang, 4727 NE Fremont St., 503-287-3846, bangbangpdx.com.

Bar West, 1221 NW 21st Ave., 503-208-2852, westportland.com.

Creepy’s, 627 SE Morrison St., 503-889-0185, creepys.business.site.

Deadshot, 2133 SE 11th Ave., 503-875-0527, deadshotpdx.com.

Double Dragon, 1235 SE Division St., 503-230-8340, doubledragonpdx.com.

Hi-Top Tavern, 5015 NE Fremont St., 503-206-4308, hitoptavern.com.

Holy Ghost, 4107 SE 28th Ave., holyghostbar.com. (Holy Ghost is not yet open.)

Leikam Brewing, 5812 E Burnside St., 503-477-4743, leikambeer.com.

Leisure Public House, 8002 N Lombard St., 503-289-7606, leisurepublichouse.com.

Paydirt, 2724 NE Pacific St., 503-908-3217, paydirtbar.com.

Paymaster Lounge, 1020 NW 17th Ave., 503-943-2780, paymasterlounge.com.

Peter’s Bar & Grill, 5701 NE Fremont St., 503-460-0544, petersbarandgrill.com.

Rum Club, 720 SE Sandy Blvd., 503-265-8807, rumclubpdx.com.

Slingshot Lounge, 5532 SE Center St., 503-445-6649, slingshotlounge.com.

Teardrop Lounge, 1015 NW Everett St., 503-445-8109, teardroplounge.com.

The Garrison, 8773 N Lombard St., instagram.com/thegarrisonpdx.

The Old Gold, 2105 N Killingsworth St., 503-894-8937, drinkinoregon.com.

Tomorrow’s Verse, 4605 NE Fremont St., Suite 103, 971-346-2198, youenjoymybeer.com.

Tough Luck, 1771 NE Dekum St., 503-754-4188, toughluckbar.com.

White Owl Social Club, 1305 SE 8th Ave. 503-236-9672, whiteowlsocialclub.com.

Wilder, 5501 NE 30th Ave., 971-710-5428, wilderpdx.com.

Wonderly, 4727 NE Fremont St., 503-288-4520, wonderlypdx.com.

Yukon Tavern, 5819 SE Milwaukie Ave., 503-235-6352, yukontavern.com.

Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office. Support WW's journalism today.