A Bar of Their Own

A Bar of Their Own is a women's sports bar in Minneapolis, Minnesota, focused on creating a dedicated social venue for watching and celebrating women's athletics. The establishment is located on East Franklin Avenue in the Seward neighborhood and opened in March 2024. It was founded by Mankato native Jillian Hiscock, who cited The Sports Bra in Portland, Oregon, as an inspiration for developing a bar centered on women's sports. The venue positions itself as both a sports-watching destination and a community space. Its programming centers exclusively on women's sports, spanning Minnesota teams and broader national competitions. Local teams and events shown at the bar include the Minnesota Lynx, Aurora FC, Minnesota Frost, and Minnesota Strike. Its broader viewing slate includes the WNBA, college softball, and the Pro Volleyball Federation. The opening coincided with the 2024 Big Ten women's basketball tournament in Minneapolis, a high-profile moment for women's college basketball that helped establish the bar's early identity. A Bar of Their Own describes itself as LGBTQ-owned and emphasizes inclusion in both its audience and supplier relationships. Sixteen of its eighteen beers on tap are associated with women, non-binary people, or transgender people as owners, makers, or leaders. The food menu includes vegan and gluten-free choices, alongside chicken wings carried over from the venue's predecessor, Tracy's Saloon, which had operated at the location since 1979. The name references the 1992 film A League of Their Own. The interior includes a signed poster connected with the Rockford Peaches, the women's baseball team that inspired the film, as well as a signature wall featuring sports figures including Rebekkah Brunson, Billie Jean King, and Emma Greco. These elements connect the bar's contemporary mission with the longer history of women in sport. A Bar of Their Own is recognized as Minnesota's first women's sports bar. Its significance is primarily local and cultural rather than that of a national chain: it provides a permanent venue for women's sporting events in a market where sports bars have traditionally focused on men's competitions. In 2026, Jillian Hiscock received a Special Merit Award at Minnesota's observance of National Girls & Women in Sports Day for her work associated with the bar.

A Bar of Their Own was established by Jillian Hiscock and opened in March 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The concept was inspired in part by The Sports Bra in Portland, Oregon, a venue known for centering women's athletics. Hiscock developed the Minneapolis bar as a dedicated setting where women's sports could receive the same regular, communal viewing treatment traditionally associated with men's sports bars. The venue occupies a site on East Franklin Avenue in the Seward neighborhood. Before A Bar of Their Own, the location was associated with Tracy's Saloon, which had been established in 1979. The new bar retained the predecessor's well-known chicken wings while building a different identity around women's sports, inclusive hospitality, and community gathering. A Bar of Their Own opened in time for the 2024 Big Ten women's basketball tournament in Minneapolis. From its launch, the bar's stated programming differentiated it from a general sports pub: it shows women's sports exclusively. Its schedule includes Minnesota teams such as the Minnesota Lynx, Aurora FC, Minnesota Frost, and Minnesota Strike, as well as national competitions including the WNBA, college softball, and the Pro Volleyball Federation. The business is LGBTQ-owned and extends its inclusion-oriented positioning to its menu and beverage program. Vegan and gluten-free dishes are available, and sixteen of the eighteen beers on tap are connected to women, non-binary people, or transgender people as owners, brewers, or leaders. The venue's physical design and memorabilia reinforce its connection to women's sports history. It displays a signed poster associated with the Rockford Peaches, the team that inspired the film A League of Their Own, and maintains a signature wall bearing the names of sports figures including Rebekkah Brunson, Billie Jean King, and Emma Greco. The name itself is a play on A League of Their Own, linking the venue to a widely recognized cultural reference about women's baseball while also expressing the bar's central promise: a place of their own for fans and athletes in women's sports. The business is described as Minnesota's first women's sports bar, giving it a pioneering local role even though its operations are concentrated in one Minneapolis location. In 2026, Jillian Hiscock received a Special Merit Award at Minnesota's National Girls & Women in Sports Day celebration for her work with A Bar of Their Own. The recognition underscored the venue's broader role in promoting visibility and community support for women's athletics.

• 2026

  Founder receives a Special Merit Award

  [1]A Bar of Their Ownen.wikipedia.org

  Jillian Hiscock receives a Special Merit Award at Minnesota's celebration of National Girls & Women in Sports Day.

• 2024

  A Bar of Their Own opens in Minneapolis

  [1]A Bar of Their Ownen.wikipedia.org

  Jillian Hiscock opens the LGBTQ-owned women's sports bar in the Seward neighborhood, making it Minnesota's first venue of its kind.

• 2024

  The bar opens during the Big Ten women's basketball tournament

  [1]A Bar of Their Ownen.wikipedia.org

  The launch is timed to the 2024 Big Ten women's basketball tournament in Minneapolis.

• 1979

  Tracy's Saloon is established at the future site

  [1]A Bar of Their Ownen.wikipedia.org

  The venue's predecessor, Tracy's Saloon, was established at the East Franklin Avenue location and later contributed its chicken wings to A Bar of Their Own's menu.

An inclusive, LGBTQ-owned sports bar specializing exclusively in women's sports and community-oriented food and beverage service.

• Sports entertainment · 2024

  Women's sports broadcasts

  The bar's defining offering is an exclusive focus on women's sports. Its programming includes Minnesota professional and semiprofessional teams, the WNBA, college softball, and the Pro Volleyball Federation, creating a dedicated viewing environment rather than a general sports-bar schedule.

• Food service · 2024

  Food menu

  A Bar of Their Own serves bar food that includes chicken wings associated with the former Tracy's Saloon at the location. The menu also provides vegan and gluten-free options, supporting the venue's inclusive hospitality positioning.

• Beverage service · 2024

  Beer program

  The bar has eighteen beers on tap, sixteen of which are owned, produced, or led by women, non-binary people, or transgender people. The selection is part of the venue's effort to align its suppliers with its focus on representation in sport and hospitality.

• 2024

  Adopt an exclusive women's-sports programming strategyStrategy

  Background

  The venue was created to address the limited visibility and dedicated viewing space historically available to women's athletics in sports-bar settings.

  Action taken

  A Bar of Their Own chose to show women's sports exclusively, covering local Minnesota teams and national women's leagues and competitions.

  Aftermath

  The decision established the venue as Minnesota's first women's sports bar and defined its identity as a specialized community sports destination.

  Source

• 2024

  Prioritize representation in the beer selectionStrategy

  Background

  The business developed an LGBTQ-owned and inclusion-oriented brand identity extending beyond sports programming.

  Action taken

  Sixteen of the venue's eighteen beers on tap were selected from producers connected with women, non-binary people, or transgender people as owners, makers, or leaders.

  Aftermath

  The beverage program became a visible expression of the bar's representation-focused positioning.

  Source

1. 1A Bar of Their Ownen.wikipedia.org