Portland, We Need a Bigger Bra

When we opened the first Sports Bra in Portland, we were asking one very big question:

Would people show up if women’s sports were always the main event?

Portland, you exceeded all of my wildest hopes and dreams.

You filled the room. You brought your friends and families for watch parties, rivalry games, tournaments, first dates, birthdays, team hangs, Pride events, and regular old weeknights when you just wanted to be somewhere that felt right. And to our out-of-town visitors who made a trip to The Bra, you told us yourselves that we need places like this in your hometowns, too. 

And that is really the heart of the whole thing. The first Bra worked. It proved the demand. It showed that people are hungry (and thirsty) for a place with women’s sports at its heart.

But it also proved something else: our original home is too small.

Forty seats can feel amazing when the room is full during a big game. When everyone is cheering together, when a trophy is on the line, forty seats feels like the center of the sports universe.

But forty seats are still…just forty seats.

That means we can only serve 40 people during the big events, even when there’s a line outside. It means one small bar is trying to hold a community that has far outgrown the room.

The Sports Bra is going to make space.

The second Portland Bra will be designed differently from the start. More seats, a bigger kitchen, and more space for big games, private events, team parties, catering, celebrations, and all the ways this community wants to gather.

Same mission. Better fit.

The OG Bra is home. And we’re making smart, practical changes there so it can keep doing what it does best. But a second Portland location gives the whole concept, and the whole community, more room to cheer.

Portland proved the idea, shaped the culture, and helped create a space where women’s leagues are celebrated. This city showed the rest of the country what a women’s sports bar could be.

So even as we take The Bra to other cities with our franchisees, we also want to build the version Portland has been asking for. The version you all deserve.

That’s what this next chapter is about. We are taking all we’ve learned and growing with intention. We are putting the systems, spaces, and support in place now so that every new Bra can become what it’s meant to be: a home for local fans, teams, and communities.

The first Bra proved the demand. The rest will be built to meet it.

Here’s how you can help us get to where we’re going: come visit during slower times, buy merch, bring your team and your people, share why Portland needs a bigger Bra, learn more about our community investment campaign, and consider investing if it’s right for you.

Thank you for coming along with us from the beginning. We know what we’re building. And we’re just getting started.

Always invest in women.

 - Jenny