Marsha’s, set to become Philadelphia’s first women’s sports bar, will be celebrating its grand opening on Friday, September 19, writes Nick Kariuki for Billy Penn at WHYY.
The grand opening will mark the culmination of a six-year journey for owner, Chivonn Anderson.
Back in 2019, she and a group of friends returned to Philadelphia after a trip to Europe. Eager to watch the final day of the Women’s World Cup games, they went to a South Street sports bar and asked the bartender to put the game on the TV.
However, the bartender initially refused because the Phillies were playing the Mets at the time. While he did eventually turn the TV to the World Cup, Anderson was still frustrated.
“It blew my mind that I had to argue with the bartender in a sports bar to put the Women’s World Cup on,” she said. “I’m just like, ‘This isn’t right.’”
That experience sparked the idea that women should have a space dedicated to honor, highlight, and celebrate their hard work within these sports.
Marsha’s — named after LGBTQ+ activist Marsha P. Johnson —will take over the former Woolly Mammoth location on South Street.
Anderson wants Marsha’s to be a welcoming space for women’s sports and the LGBTQ+ community.
Read more about Marsha’s and the backstory behind its grand opening at Billy Penn at WHYY.
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