Order up: Paisley Upstairs owner Terry Jacques (left) with patron Sean Wright

The Esquimalt Alternative

Paisley Upstairs is the new queer business in town

When Terry Jacques heard there was an opportunity to transform the Paisley Upstairs—a cozy, second-floor space in the heart of Esquimalt—into Mile Zero’s newest queer venue, he jumped at the chance.

“I always wanted to run my own little spot and I’ve always been gay and I’ve always worked in the community,” says Jacques, who spent several years working at Paparazzi and its various past incarnations. “I’m not an activist by any means, I don’t think—maybe one day—but I’ve always worked in the gay community and I always will.”

Granted, the Paisley Upstairs, which has been open for about seven months, has a bit of a unique setup. It’s technically part of the downstairs restaurant, sharing its kitchen and liquor license (“We’d call us an extra room of the Paisley downstairs,” says Jacques), meaning it’s a food-primary establishment—or, as Jacques says, a “pub-style restaurant.”

“I thought if we could provide food, that’s something gay people in this city haven’t had,” he says. “It would be a completely new venue.”

Not only does it boast a full menu (which Jacques says will be revamped soon), it also has a pool table and a patio with a great view of the harbour. In addition to the parking-lot parties he’s hosting after Canada Day’s drag baseball game and the Pride Festival, Jacques hopes to start up other community events like pool tournaments and ladies’ nights.

“The ladies are slow in coming, but they have been coming a little bit more. I believe that, in the end, we’ll see a lot more intermixing, and I like that,” he says. “Some of the boys in the beginning were anti-girl, but it can’t be that way or I would not survive. Some of the slow nights, it was the women who kept this place afloat.”

Indeed, Jacques says the Paisley Upstairs welcomes folks from all walks of life; for example, the venue is now home to the weekly Tuesday night meetings of local kink society Sagacity.

“I support all alternative lifestyles. I’ve always been that way,” he says. “Whatever floats your boat, feel free—whatever that is—to be here.”

Speaking of support, Jacques says he’s been overwhelmed by the amount he’s received so far, both from within the queer community (“The backing, the support and the advice has been endless from people who know so much more than me,” he says) and from the greater community in Esquimalt.

“I got the odd look from some people down at Timmy’s, the groupies that hang out there with their coffees, they’re looking up and I can see them whispering . . . [but] the support of the actual community has been good,” he says. “The community in Esquimalt has blown me away with their acceptance because I expected trouble. I didn’t really know what to expect. Part of the plus that I liked about this place was that it was up on the second floor and anyone really wanting to make trouble would have to really go out of their way to be up here to cause trouble—and there’s been not a lick of it since I’ve been here.”

Now that’s a queer story to be proud of. M

See the Pride Week events listing for details about the Paisely’s Parking Lot Party.