'Friendly Bar' appears to be the first of a number of LGBT-friendly bars in this building. The bar was originally opened by Mirko "Mike" Stjepanovic / Stepanovich (1885-1941) and his wife Julia (1894-1980.) They were first-generation Croatian immigrants who raised their family in the apartment above the bar. The Stepanovichs were part of the neighborhood's original Slavic community, back when 2nd St. south of National was filled with Eastern European taverns and restaurants. Friendly Bar was associated with the Pabst Brewery, which sponsored their matchbooks for years.

After Mike's death, Julia struggled to run the business. Kostas Peshoff took over from 1941 to 1944, followed by Robert Krumbers from 1944 to 1947, and finally "Paul." It is believed that the bar became a hang-out for gay men starting with Krumbers' ownership in 1944, nicknamed simply 'Friendlys'.

The following recollection by 'Bunny' in November 2016 gives us the best information about that early bar's reputation among gay men at the time:

"When the Mint Bar relocated on S. 2nd Street in 1987, some old-timers came in from Madison who said they had hung out in that same building after (World War II). At the time, it had been called 'Friendlys.' They said it was a bunch of cute boys with crew cuts, servicemen just sitting on their hands, afraid to talk to each other. A dark, quiet, candle-lit bar with the Andrews Sisters on the juke box. A lot of servicemen hung out there. If you were interested in someone, you’d follow them out. That kind of business was not conducted in the bar. By the time word got out about Friendlys, it was closed. Even living here in Milwaukee, I had never heard of it, but I guess it was THE thing."

The location went through several transitions after "Friendly's". When Krumbers closed the Friendly Bar, it became known as Tony's Tap in 1948 (not to be confused with the "Tony's Tavern" at 412 S. 2nd St, operated by a Slovenian family from 1934 to 2013.)

This location has been host to a long tradition of LGBT establishments. After "Friendly Bar" (1944-1947) the bar became a series of 'straight' bars. It was then operating as 'The Hustler' in the early 1970s, which may also have been somewhat gay friendly (additional research is needed). But its run as well-documented LGBT establishments really began when it was briefly opened as 'The Decision' for a month or two early in 1976. Next it was Hideaway for the last six months of 1976, after which for a time no longer housed a gay business. Its string of housing LGBT businesses resumed with the relocated Mint Bar II/ Angelo's (1986-1991), followed by BJ's Mint Bar (1991-1993), Zippers (1993-1998), and finally Fluid in 1998-- which is still open in 2024.