Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, several small venues were rendered shut. Many of these stages did not survive the pandemic, however, as live music and tours make a return, a group of Dallasites look to cultivate a happier, more conscious music scene. Earlier this month, a small lounge called Ladylove opened in Dallas’ iconic Bishop Arts neighborhood. As its name suggests, Ladylove is a space predominately operated by women.
The concept of Ladylove was created by Kate Siamro – a music connoisseur whose takes on vinyl records have gone viral on TikTok several times – as well as David Grover, who owns Spinster Records, where Siamro has worked for the past nine years. Heather Poile manages the bar, where she crafts music-inspired cocktails, and Jimmy Contreras of Dallas’ vinyl-centric Taco Y Vino lounge is in charge of food. All four parties maintain equal ownership of Ladylove.
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“We’ve always wanted a space in Dallas where we could create our own culture and musical energy,” Siamro says. “We felt like theatrics were lost in a lot of venues, hence why the stage has these huge curtains that are closed before a band plays.”
Though Spinster and Ladylove aren’t directly related, both business names allude to pejoratives often given to women. Siamro notes that she and Grover didn’t necessarily plan this, however, they are thankful for the way this unfolded.
“I think it’s interesting that ‘spinster’ means, like, a woman who never gets married, and is in her late 20s – ‘And Oh, God forbid, she has no children.’ It’s this negative term that we flipped around, and it has a femininity to it. And Ladylove is sometimes a term used for a mistress, and I was like, ‘Oh, let’s claim that back too. Let’s take all these negative terms about women and breathe femininity into the scene.’”
[Photo by Shelby Eligoyo]
The space certainly taps into divine feminine energy. Inside the venue is a large DJ booth, which stands opposite a shelf of vinyl records. Janet Jackson, Madonna, and many pop icons play throughout the evening during Ladylove’s grand opening night. Performers utilizing live instrumentation arrive on a stage encased by velvet red curtains.
In the back of the lounge is a cozy table surrounded by soft chairs, beside a wall bedecked with paintings, print photos, and Polaroids.
According to Siamro, “about 80 percent” of the people who have applied to work at Ladylove are women, and the few men that work there “appreciate the Goddess energy.” Even the drinks on the menu are feminine-forward, including one that has already proven to be a crowd favorite: the Sad Girl R&B.
The Sad Girl R&B is comprised of Libelula Tequila, Pallini Limoncello, Regans Orange Bitters, and grapefruit soda, garnished with heart-shaped boba Poile found during a “Google rabbithole.”
“I knew then that if I focused on obscure flavors, as opposed to really mainstream flavors, in terms of influences, I would discover something cool, strange, fun, and flirty,” says Poile.
Another one that the Ladylove team has said to be a hit is the Southern-inspired In Tongues, made with Teeling Irish Whiskey, black tea, Monin Peach, lemon, and mint. With her thoughtfully crafted menu, Poile doesn’t strive for Ladylove to be the place where guests get their usual, but rather perfect a Spotify-esque algorithm for cocktails, as guest’s tastes in libations are equally as fluid as their tastes in music.
“In the back of my mind is ‘What’s the most authentic thing that I can do for the guest?,’” says Poile. “Business owners and companies are always trying to anticipate what the guests wants, but they’re never including the guests in that process as to what they could possibly mean.”
Ladylove, which has a capacity of 130, strives to maintain an air of intimacy throughout the space. The team worked with Pioneer to “fine-tune the room” and ensure quality sound. Throughout its first month of operation, Ladylove has several performances scheduled, including a DJ set from Ursa Minor, as well as Aniya Henre, who will be spinning afrofusion sounds and R&B tunes.
[Photo by Shelby Eligoyo]
Kirk Thurmond will be the venue’s first performance using live instrumentation. Regulars at Ladylove can expect a bill full of performers of all genders, “as long as you’re not an asshole,” says Siamro. Despite the number of women holding down the Ladylove fort, Siamro admits she and the crew still sometimes deal with the same problems many women in the industry face.
“I wasn’t really advertising myself as the booker too much,” says Siamro. “People would just know that I was connected to Ladylove and they would ask me ‘Who’s your Booker?’ And when I’d say it’s me, DJs would be like, ‘Well, do you know your gear?,’ which is really rude. But a lot of women who work in music become so hyper-aware of it, because it happens so often, you find your own ways to defuse it and become like the bigger person in the situation. But no one should be wasting their time to educate anyone on politeness.”
While Ladylove has proven to be a hit among female fans of music, the crew wants for their new venue to be part of a bigger lore. In addition to being a cozy space for women, Ladylove aims to be inclusive of all music fans. There are no enforced dress codes at Ladylove and fans of all ages are allowed into the venue until 7 p.m.
Poile, ever the romantic, also hopes that audio aficionados will form bonds through vinyl listening nights, and will discover local artists within a resurging music scene. She particularly wants this to be the spot where people put their phones down and get lost in the sounds.
“I think the moments that are going to resonate with me the day that I die are going to be the ones that I held with people,” says Poile. “I sat next to someone, I spoke with someone, I drank with someone, I ate with someone, I partied with someone, and I listened to music with someone.”
