A rare opportunity in downtown Eagle
The New State Saloon A Plan to Buy It
Historic BuildingRare Liquor LicenseBetter Name
Old State Saloon50 E. State StreetEagle, Idaho
- 011906Original construction
- 024,800 SFBuilding, approx.
- 03One third AcreNearly · Downtown Eagle
- 04$2.4MReal estate, asking
- 05$500KLiquor license, asking
Seller’s asking terms, checked October 3, 2026. Our GoFundMe goal is $3 million; we expect to assemble additional financing for acquisition and opening costs. Current status and terms.
Serious donations only.
Historic asset · Downtown Eagle
The Building
$2.4 Million Seller’s asking price for the real estate
The seller describes it as the original Orville Jackson’s building, constructed in 1906 and standing in downtown Eagle for more than a century: about 4,800 square feet on nearly a third of an acre, with the front of house remodeled in 2023.
You cannot recreate this address.
You can redecorate it.
It’s also a building with a reputation. Old State Saloon drew national coverage for its 2025 “Hetero Awesome Fest” (The Advocate, Aug. 26, 2026) and for a promotion offering free drinks to people whose tips to ICE led to deportations (PinkNews, Aug. 27, 2026). Our answer is a gay bar, a community room, and a different use for the same address.
More than a commercial property. A piece of Eagle history with a new future.
Listed separately · Optional
The Liquor License
$500,000 Seller’s asking price, listed separately
The seller lists the bar’s liquor license as a separate, optional asset, to be offered first to whoever buys the real estate. The transfer is subject to licensing approval.
- 01OptionalListed separately
- 02$500KSeller’s asking price
- 03First offerTo the building’s buyer
Same license.
Different guest list.
The spirits can stay. The atmosphere gets an update.
Recognition · Belonging · A new name
The Brand
Sold separately. How thoughtful.
The seller offers the Old State Saloon name separately from the building. We brought our own.
The New State Saloon.
- Twenty dollars matters.
- Fifty dollars matters.
- A hundred dollars matters.
- Five hundred dollars matters.
- Sharing this fundraiser matters.
From the campaign.
We’re not interested in arguing with the past, we’re interested in buying it.
More than a bar
What the Building Would Do
A gay bar with a life beyond last call.
-
01
Night
“Music. Dancing. Drag. DJs. Live performances. Theme nights. Drinks. Pride events. Fundraisers. Celebrations.” A place where LGBTQ+ people know it is actually for them.
-
02
Day
Educational workshops, resource events, peer and community support gatherings, youth-appropriate daytime programming where appropriate, clubs, classes, talks, voter and civic education, art shows and markets.
-
03
Rentals
Space for local LGBTQ+ organizations to meet and organize. “Some community uses should be free. Others should be available at reduced rates.” Private rentals and commercial events could help subsidize the parts that exist because they are useful.
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04
Giving
Our current plan is to dedicate 2% to 5% of weekly proceeds to organizations such as the ACLU of Idaho and the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights, and to publish exactly how that is calculated before opening. These are example recipients, not partners or endorsers.
Where the money goes
Use of Funds
The first objective is to buy Old State Saloon. The GoFundMe funds acquisition and opening costs, including:
- Acquisition of the property and related assets
- Earnest money and closing costs
- Legal and due-diligence expenses
- Licensing and professional fees
- Financing costs
- Renovations and buildout
- Equipment and furnishings
- Opening inventory
- Initial operating capital
- Improvements necessary to support daytime community use, events, and programming
If the purchase can’t be completed, funds remaining after any documented costs already incurred in a good-faith attempt to complete the acquisition, such as legal work, due diligence or professional fees, go to organizations working to expand LGBTQ+ rights, civil rights and human rights in Idaho. The ACLU of Idaho and Add the Words Idaho are examples. We’ll publicly account for that outcome; the funds will not become personal income or enrich the organizers.
Contributions are donations, not investments. They provide no stock, ownership, repayment rights, profit participation, or other financial interest in the future business.
Checked October 3, 2026
Where Things Stand
- Fundraiser
- Open on GoFundMe, organized by Montgomery Kuykendall. The goal is $3 million, and the campaign expects to need additional financing to complete a purchase.
- Donations
- Donations, not investments. A personal GoFundMe organized by Montgomery Kuykendall. No tax-deductibility claim is made. Use of Funds lists what the money is for and what happens if the purchase can’t be completed.
- Purchase
- Not completed. There’s no guarantee the seller will sell to this campaign.
- Venue
- Not open. The site illustrates the venue we want to build.
- Affiliation
- None. An independent parody and fundraising project, not affiliated with Old State Saloon or its owners.
- Updates
- Official updates will be posted on the GoFundMe.
The acquisition and opening work is set out below.
The short version
Why We Want to Buy It
Old State Saloon is for sale.
We want to buy it.
For the dance floor.
For the daytime room.
And, yes, for the plot twist.
Before opening anything
- Acquisition.
- Licensing.
- Experienced operators.
- Financing.
- Due diligence.
- And an actual operating plan.
The work between the fundraiser and the first night.
“It’s like, ‘ha ha, that’s hilarious,’ but also, really, I do believe in this… It’s not a joke at all. When it comes down to it, I’m very serious.”
A permanent LGBTQ+ space for the Treasure Valley is worth doing the paperwork. Read the letter from the organizer.
The Opportunity Ahead
A new owner gets to decide what happens here next.
We took that part rather literally.
The more people chip in, the stronger our position.
The details
More Questions
What is the money for?
The costs of making the acquisition and opening the venue, as listed under Use of Funds above: the property and related assets, earnest money and closing costs, legal and due-diligence expenses, licensing and professional fees, financing costs, renovations and buildout, equipment, opening inventory, initial operating capital, and improvements for daytime community use. We also expect to assemble additional financing to complete a purchase.
What is the 2–5% plan?
If the venue opens, our current plan is to dedicate 2% to 5% of weekly proceeds to organizations such as the ACLU of Idaho and the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights, and to publish exactly how the percentage is calculated before opening. Those organizations are examples, not partners or endorsers.
How will the money be accounted for?
We’ll publish updates as fundraising and acquisition progress. If the purchase cannot be completed, we’ll publicly account for documented acquisition costs and the distribution of remaining funds under the fallback terms.
Why this building?
From the campaign: “there is something undeniably poetic about taking a place known for excluding people and turning it into a place built around bringing them together.” Old State Saloon drew national coverage for its 2025 “Hetero Awesome Fest” and for a promotion offering free drinks for tips to ICE that resulted in deportations (The Advocate, Aug. 26, 2026; PinkNews, Aug. 27, 2026).
Are the named organizations partners?
No. Organizations named in the giving plan and fallback are examples of potential recipients. They have not been presented as partners or endorsers. This fundraiser’s objective is buying this building.
Where do updates go?
Official updates will be posted on the GoFundMe as fundraising and the acquisition attempt move forward. This website doesn’t have a mailing list.
Serious donations only
Contact
Montgomery Kuykendall
Organizer · The New State Saloon
Questions about the acquisition effort go through the organizer contact on GoFundMe.
GoFundMe contact preferred.
The Story Continues
Follow the Fundraiser on GoFundMe
Official updates on fundraising and the acquisition attempt will be posted there: the on-the-record version of what comes next.
Free to read.