There is a place in Clarksville for people to gather. No, not the Love Shack, but a nightclub that has only been around for a couple of years called Fusion.
Fusion Bar & Grill is co-owned by Buddy Wells and his sister and it is in a seemingly small place off Riverside Drive.
“We have been open for about two years now and going strong,” Wells said. “My sister and I bought into a place that was here previously and that owner moved to a different location, and we changed the name to Fusion.”
Wells said the reason for using the name Fusion was that they wanted to be symbol of everyone coming together despite any differences.
“We want everyone to feel welcome, no matter if they are LGBT or straight they have a safe place to hang out,” Wells said. “The only people we don’t want here are the ones who argue or start fights with anyone.”
Wells said he was confident in the mission of being an inclusive establishment as he said that they probably have more straight clientele than members of the LGBT community. APSU students also are frequent patrons of the establishment, according to Wells.
“I really think we attract a diverse crowd because we have drag shows on the weekend,” Wells said. “It is hard to come to the shows and not have a good time, and it does not matter if you are gay, straight, or in between, you will have lots of fun.”
Driving up to the building, it looks to be a bit on the small side, but once inside, it is bigger than the facade would leave you to believe.
“We definitely have a chill environment that is a good place for people to come and unwind during the week,” Wells said. “On the weekends, we are a bit livelier when we host drag shows and other live events.”
Wells said he wants to give back to the community and be a place that sets an example of unity with everyone regardless of background.
“One of our biggest days was when he held a special even in reverence of the Orlando massacre,” Wells said. “It wound up getting us a lot of media attention, and it was an amazing night because the entire community came together in face of ugliness.”
Fusion Bar & Grill is located at 1032 S. Riverside Drive and it opens its doors at 4 p.m. every day. Fusion is a 21 and up establishment, so there is no admittance without a valid ID card.
