Boom / Club Boom & The Room

Boom opened in 2000 at 625 S. 2nd Street in the space previously occupied by the gay bar In Between, after a new ownership couple took over the lease. Originally called Club Boom, it soon became known simply as Boom and featured a traditional dark-wood barroom with a rear dance area and, from 2003, a back patio.

In July 2004 the business doubled in size by expanding into the building to the north, creating a brighter, more contemporary lounge called The Room, complete with a stainless-steel bar, video screens, and a large Milwaukee-themed mural. The two connected spaces became a popular early-evening stop before crowds moved on to La Cage. The bars declined in popularity after about 2010 and closed late in 2014.