Thanks to Lynn from Tigard
When Jenny Nguyen signed the lease to create her dream bar, she wasn’t sure it would stay open for more than a few months.
But earlier this month, Jenny’s first-of-its-kind establishment in Portland celebrated its one-year anniversary. Of course we are talking about The Sports Bra, where only women athletes appear on the TVs.
Business has been good, despite the very specific business model and record inflation sending food and beverage prices soaring. The Sports Bra brought in $944,000 in revenue in the eight months it was open in 2022 and was profitable in its very first year of business.
To Jenny’s surprise, a kickstarter campaign raised more than $105,000 in just 30 days, but the money, which came from around the country and world, was no guarantee of success. Actual people in Portland still needed to frequent the bar.
Today, there’s often a line out the door. Women’s basketball icons like Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi showed up for an event earlier this month. And Jenny says that Ginny Gilder, co-owner of the WNBA’s Seattle Storm, has even waited in line to watch her team play on The Sports Bra’s TVs.