Tulsa bar goes smoke-free

New Age Renegade, located at 1649 S. Main St., Tulsa’s premiere show club, went smoke-free in May of 2015 after 25 years as a smoking venue. Owner Russell Davison says the choice was made for everyone’s health as well as to educate people about the dangers of secondhand smoke.

As they come up on the one-year anniversary of the decision, Davidson says New Age Renegade is prospering despite the large change.

“When we first went smoke-free, people told us all the time it would hurt business. But is anything, business has increased- we hate to lose any customers, but we gained more than we lost.”

“Research is consistent and clear: going smoke-free does not hurt business.” said Kathleen Thomas, Free The Night campaign manager. “The majority of Oklahomans are not smokers, and catering to the majority is always a good business decision.”

Davison also noted his cleaning bills are lower and going smoke-free has helped he and his bar-staff to cut back on the amount of cigarettes they smoke themselves. “We still have a great patio, and lots of patrons compliment us on going smoke-free. This really has never been a very difficult decision. The only constants in life are death and change, and I want to change before I die. Going smoke-free is keeping New Age Renegade ahead of the curve.”

“We’ve had an incredibly positive reaction to this campaign from Oklahomans,” adds Thomas, “There really is overwhelming demand for smoke-free bars and clubs. We are proud to have New Age Renegade as a smoke-free bar and encourage any bar owners thinking about this decision to reach out to us for help.”

With shows every Monday, Friday, and Saturday, you will find unique acts with rotating hosts at New Age Renegade, often from out of state. There are plenty of interactive events and forget about happy hour: every day of the week from 4 p.m. - 8 p.m., you can buy a shot and get a free domestic beer.

FREE THE NIGHT Launched in 2014, Free The Night is a statewide campaign to encourage bars and clubs to voluntarily adopt smoke-free policies to protect the health of bar and club patrons and workers. The Free The Night campaign is funded by the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET). For more information, visit FreeTheNightOK.org.

The Gayly - 4/27/2016 @ 9:56 a.m. CDT