BARchive :: Café Back in the Day

The late 1980s saw something of an explosion of women's venues, which was followed shortly thereafter with an implosion. Caf� San Marcos (2367-2369 Market, which in 1991 became The Caf�) found itself in an unusual situation during that period. The bar started drawing women around 1987. As other women's venues closed, the venue found itself in something of an identity crisis: was it a mixed bar or a women's bar? As I frequented the bar in this period, I had a ringside seat to the changes.