South Street: How Katrina Duva Is Keeping Tradition Alive at Bob and Barbara’s

When you walk into Bob and Barbara’s Lounge, you’re immediately surrounded by Pabst Blue Ribbon
memorabilia and fairy lights. There are also two bars on the opposite ends, lined with ruby red padding
and old-school cash registers. It’s a small and colorful place with something always going on, whether
that be a local jazz band performing on Wednesdays or their drag show on Thursdays. The South Street
bar was founded by Robert Porter and Barbara Carter in 1969, and the vibe is pretty much the same as it
was in those days, thanks in large part to the current owners: Katrina and Oskar Duva, who took the bar
over from their stepfather in 2020

What is your background with being the co-owner of Bob and Barbara’s? How did you end up
overseeing the weekly drag shows?

Our stepfather [Jack Prince] bought it in 1994. He was here for about a year, kind of hearing
over a previous legacy of the music that was so palpable and that we were well known for. It
was just one address. He expanded the other side of to the showroom as well. And being the
longest-running drag show in the country, that’s kind of been our goal is just keep as much as
possible the same. There’s no reason to change things that already work. My time started here
in 2019. And Oscar is my younger brother, and his time started in 2018. We came back to help
with the family business. The pandemic came and changed the whole timeline of things. So it’s
been him and I ever since.

I’ve noticed that the bar is decked out in Pabst Blue Ribbon memorabilia. What’s the
background behind that?

It comes from what we call a ‘Citywide Special’. A PBR beer and shot pairing. Just that
popularity taking off as fast as it did when that combo released. The first little thing was a little
Pabst [Jack Prince] was gifted from students at Wharton. And then he had just kind of caught
the bug of collecting memorabilia. So this is about maybe a half of his collection. Stuff gets
cycled out a lot and brought in also.

What is your favorite thing about overseeing the drag show?

I just think we’re very lucky to have such a space to let that kind of art unfold. Everyone has
such an individual, not only style, but performance and how they express themselves. That’s so
important right now, and the fact that it’s kind of trying to be tampered down or hidden right
now in today’s climate, it’s so important that there’s places to celebrate the opposite and to let
anyone express themselves. It’s definitely an honor.

Is there anything else you’d like to touch on?

There’s somewhat of a small positive spin to it where, Lisa [the host of the drag show] and I
have talked about how the gayborhood in general, and all the bars in the neighborhood are just
as inclusive, but for this, we’re not even in that physical neighborhood. This is a bar for
everyone.

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