Elaine Romagnoli

Elaine Lillian Romagnoli (April 22, 1942 – October 28, 2021) was an American businesswoman and community leader. She founded and ran successful restaurants and lesbian bars, including Bonnie & Clyde's, The Cubby Hole, and Crazy Nanny's in New York City.

Elaine Romagnoli
Born	(1942-04-22)April 22, 1942 Englewood, New Jersey
Died	October 28, 2021(2021-10-28) (aged 79) New York City
Occupation(s)	Businesswoman, community leader
Years active	1972-2004

Early life

Romagnoli was born in Englewood, New Jersey, the daughter of August (Gus) Romagnoli and Claire Ines Fiorina Romagnoli, and raised in nearby Palisades Park.^[1][2]

Career

Romagnoli became a well-known figure in New York's West Village neighborhood in 1972 as hostess of Bonnie & Clyde's, a lesbian bar owned by Louis Corso;^[3] she welcomed a celebrity clientele including Gloria Steinem and Yoko Ono, and held fundraisers and other community events. After Bonnie & Clyde's closed, she opened the Cubby Hole in 1983; Stormé DeLarverie was the Cubby Hole's bouncer for a time.^[4] She also ran a restaurant, Bonnie's by the Bay, in New Suffolk, and a tapas bar called Sunset Strip. In 1991, all of her 1980s businesses had ended,^[5] and she opened another bar, Crazy Nanny's.^[6] She sold Crazy Nanny's in 2004, just before she retired.^[1]

Romagnoli was active in the North Fork Women for Women Fund on the East End of Long Island, NY; during her term as its president in 2000, the organization held North Fork's first Gay Pride Dance at a vineyard, Castello de Borghese.^[7]

Personal life

Romagnoli died in 2021,^[8] aged 79 years, at her home in New York City.^[1] Her memorial service was held at the Stonewall Inn.^[9]