The problem with 'woke' businesses: Good intentions don't pay the bills.

A recent wave of closures is being linked to the difficulty of running businesses built around progressive or “woke” identities. The article cites the closure of Denver’s only lesbian bar in April after disagreements between management and employees and financial challenges. It also points to the Los Angeles bar The Ruby Fruit, which closed in 2025 following a fire and alleged complaints about workplace policies, as well as a New York feminist bookstore that shut down citing financial, health and structural issues plus claims of “racist, classist violence” from neighbors. Similar examples are mentioned in Philadelphia, Salt Lake City, and elsewhere, concluding that good intentions often fail to cover payroll and that consumer demand remains decisive for survival.