The Sports Bra, a female-owned sports bar, is coming to Maplewood. The business, founded in Portland, shows only women’s sports as part of its mission to empower women. The St. Louis area is officially getting the first franchise location, owned by Heather Hill and Sara Pilsner, at 7344 Manchester Road.
Signs popped up recently on Manchester Road announcing that locals can expect an opening date in early 2026. “The bones in here are good,” co-owner Heather Hill said of the old Boogaloo space. They plan to keep the original wood floors, as well as the double-sided bar, though the new bar top will be made of reclaimed wood from a basketball court. Customers can expect at least 10 TVs on the inside, which will hold up to 160 people. The patio will be getting its own TVs, as well as rain guards and heaters to extend patio season as long as possible.
“Part of the appeal of a franchise is that we didn’t have to build a menu from scratch,” Hill said. The Sports Bra has classic pub fare, like soft pretzels and wings, but they’ve also got Vietnamese clay pot-style pork ribs and a tempeh Reuben. Guests can make their smash burger vegan or their tuna melt gluten-free, allowing this already accessible menu to be dietary friendly as well. Every franchise location (fans in Indianapolis, Boston and Las Vegas will see their own spots soon) gets the opportunity to add one of their own items to each category on the menu. Hill can’t reveal what’s going on the St. Louis menu yet, but she’s already got some ideas.
It wouldn’t be a sports bar without a drink menu, and The Sports Bra has it all, from cocktails to mocktails to beer on tap. The Title IX features bourbon, peach liqueur and mint, while the Pickle Ball includes dry gin, dry vermouth and pickle juice.
“The ultimate goal of The Sports Bra is to empower women, across any aspect,” Hill said. “Anytime we can hire women, promote women, have women do construction, get women-owned breweries, distilleries, [that’s] what we’re going to go with.” The business is also committed to supporting local as much as possible too. To this end, Hill has been doing tastings around the area, including at Noboleis Vineyards for their ciders.
“I really think there’s a need in every city,” Hill said of female-centered spaces like The Sports Bra. According to a 2023 article in Forbes, 15% of sports media coverage for the previous year was about women’s sports, which was a vast improvement from around 5% in 2019. The numbers are expected to keep growing, and Hill credits social media and “the Caitlin Clark effect” for part of this. “My algorithm started to change,” she said. “I think every generation has that Caitlin Clark. For me it was the ‘99ers, and then it was Diana Taurasi. Sue Bird has always been iconic. The unfortunate thing is it has never been broadcast.”
As Hill stood outside of the site of what will soon be The Sports Bra for a photo opp, a young woman approached her. “Is this what’s going here?” she asked, referencing the signs. When Hill affirmed it was, the woman said she couldn’t wait to tell her friend. The excitement in St. Louis is already ramping up for space of female-empowerment like this one; Hill has been hosting watch parties with The Sports Bra in partnership with local businesses like The Great Grizzly. The next event is at Bluewood Brewing on Oct. 26 for the USWNT vs. Portugal match.
When the bar opens, hours will mirror what the community wants, and it will remain family-friendly as opposed to a late-night bar. “There would be nothing better than to have a little 9U softball team put in a reservation after they won a game,” Hill said.
Keep an eye on The Sports Bra’s socials for updates and more watch parties in the future.