After throwing years of popular LGBTQ-friendly tea dances, Richard Cooke embarked on opening a bar in Over-the-Rhine, which he envisioned as a place to "dance in a safe and welcoming place."

The pandemic hit as the Procter & Gamble alum readied to open the bar. But there was only one thing to do, Cooke said: Stay the course. 

e19 Lounge Bar & Discothèque, located across the street from Rhinegeist Brewery, opened one year ago this month. 

"You have to create the change you want," Cooke said.