For Tony Correia and others who worked behind the counter, Doll & Penny's was more than a late-night nacho spot — it was an oasis of belonging and sexual freedom.
Now 43, Correia charts Doll & Penny's heyday in a new 19-part serial for Xtra. This installment features Gay Games III, held in Vancouver in 1990:
On Nov 4, 1989, the breakfast regulars got a surprise with their morning coffee. On page 9 of The Vancouver Sun was a full-page ad with the banner “Time Is Running Out” above an hourglass. The ad had as many bullet points as there are Commandments, ranging from “the cost of forgiveness and healing” to “the power of prayer.” But what really got people’s attention was a reference to “spiritual warfare.”
“Initiated and paid for by Christian leaders who live in Greater Vancouver who love this city and its people,” the ad read. The Sun wouldn’t reveal who had paid for it, but Reverend Robert Birch of Burnaby Christian Fellowship and a team of pastors that called themselves the Watchmen for the Nation went on record to predict that an earthquake would swallow the city if “The Sodomite Invasion” went ahead as planned.
The Gay Games coincided with the first Molson 500 and the first Symphony of Fire, bringing together the widest array of queers and rednecks Vancouver had ever seen. If spiritual warfare was to be waged, Doll & Penny’s was certain to be a battleground.
As if the staff wasn’t on edge already, Papa Ed sold Doll & Penny’s to his eldest son, Francis — also known as the “asshole in a mink coat,” as Donna described him when he tried to have me fired. Francis had the good sense to leave Donna to work her magic, but he did decree that the café would remain open 24 hours a day for the duration of the Games. It was one of two smart business decisions he made as owner of the café — the other was adding poutine to the menu.
On Aug 4, 1990, beneath the canvas dome of BC Place Stadium, the opening ceremonies for Celebration 90 welcomed 7,300 athletes, 1,500 artists and countless spectators from across the globe. Unlike the ceremonies for the 2010 Winter Olympics, the organizers managed to light the torch.
Davie St was transformed into the Castro of the 1970s. The lines to get into Doll & Penny’s were longer than Phantom of the Opera’s— and we raked in as much dough. Were it not for the tips and the accents, the staff would never know one of the largest sporting events in the world was happening outside the front window. We were so tired after work that all any of us could do was lie on the couch with a pack of cigarettes and cry.
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