“In Paco’s you were always looked out for. It was a friendly place and always filled with characters. Although, it was very seedy - dark and dingy. The back fire exit stairs would often be used as an unofficial sex area. The ladies would be full of glam gays slapping on their makeup - which was much nicer than the gents.”
- NEIL POWELL
Interior of Paco’s, as remembered by Neil Powell today.
Paco’s Bar was situated on Stanley Street, just beside Jody’s Nightclub and served as a more casual, friendly bar, where people fondly remember it for its great atmosphere and iconic bar staff. Neil worked at Paco’s between 1989 and 1994 and he shares with us many vivid details of this space. From his colleague Monica Killkelly, a feisty barmaid often referred to as an icon of Liverpool’s gay scene, to the black and red interior of the basement bar, decorated with photographs of film stars. Spread across two floors, the basement bar was open daily with a slightly ‘seedy’ reputation, and the upstairs bar opened on weekends.
Here we depict the main basement bar - from the seedy fire exit stairs to the eclectic bar known for serving Skoll, illuminated with red wall lights. This model is an early conception of this highly-reminisced place.