Lovelady managed R Place for 20 years and previously worked at the Revolver in West Hollywood for three years before coming to Seattle. They formed The Comeback Seattle LLC and took over R Place's social media accounts. In the end, Timmons and Elander decided to move on and hand over the legacy to Lovelady and former R Place patron John Fish, who are now co-managing partners on the project. However, plans changed after the owner of the building passed away and his estate declined to renew the bar's lease. Jay Inslee lifted his stay-at-home order early in the pandemic. A statement on the bar's Facebook page noted that 'R Place has been a staple in the Gay community for over 35 years' and that it was their 'intention to reopen' once Gov. R Place owners Steve Timmons and Richard Elander announced last February that the popular Capitol Hill bar had lost its lease and that they were seeking to reopen at a new location.
'We bought everything from inside R Place to give people that familiarity, and of course we're bringing back the shows and the music and the dynamic performers that put R Place and Seattle on the map, as far as a destination LGBTQIA establishment.' We took the soul of R Place and are plugging it into this new space,' Lovelady told the SGN this week during a tour of the space.
