Meet Tristan Schukraft — the gay CEO who has big plans for The Abbey & Fire Island

Tristan Schukraft is making quite a name for himself in the world of real estate and business.

The LGBTQ+ entrepreneur just recently became the owner of the iconic gay bar The Abbey in West Hollywood, California and he even acquired over 75 percent of the commercial real estate on Fire Island.

Schukraft is also the Founder and CEO of MISTR, the largest telemedicine platform dedicated to HIV prevention and long-term HIV care.

Plus, he owns a slew of boutique hotels known as Tryst Hotels around the world and the legendary nightclub CIRCO down in Puerto Rico, which is slated to reopen later this year.

Although his hands may certainly be full, Schukraft thought it was important for many of these properties including The Abbey to stay in the family under LGBTQ+ ownership.

"It has been an amazing year. [The Abbey] is a safe place where you can be who you are, meet new friends, and develop family. In the gay community, our friends are often our family," Schukraft tells PRIDE.

It's an exciting new era for The Abbey as Schukraft steps into the role of owner. The past few years have seen the popular bar shift a bit with many people outside of the LGBTQ+ community hitting up the spot every weekend.

"Over the years, a lot of people have brought their straight friends and allies, which is really good because that's what we want as a gay community... to be accepted. At the end of the day, I'm trying to keep The Abbey true to its form as a gay bar where everybody is welcome."

While more people have decided to check out The Abbey as of late, security concerns have been heightened. However, Schukraft assures that there's nothing to be too worried about.

"We spend a lot of money on security and we work with local authorities to make sure people are safe. I like to think people do feel safe and let their hair down."

In terms of Fire Island, Schukraft is looking forward to revamping the Boatel to become a brand new Tryst Hotel property so more people can easily visit the gay destination.

"The Boatel is a hotel that needs a lot of love. It was condemned two years ago and it's going to be totally gutted and it's going to be the Tryst Fire Island. As soon as you get off the ferry, you feel the energy. It's so historical too. I've never been to a place where the community is so invested in making sure that this place survives."

It's safe to say that Schukraft is just getting started and the sky is the limit! To see the full clip from PRIDE's interview with Schukraft, check out the video at the top.