Translating passion and a dream into a bricks-and-mortar reality isn't an easy feat. Yet Jenny Nguyen did just that in her 40s. The women’s sports fan took the leap into creating a one-of-a-kind bar in Portland, Oregon. Nguyen's establishment, "The Sports Bra," is a watering hole where only women athletes appear on the TVs.
Nguyen, a lifelong basketball fan, played the sport at Clark College in Vancouver, Washington, before suffering a ligament injury. The idea for the bar sprung up from an incident in 2018 when Nguyen and a group of friends wanted to watch the NCAA women's basketball championship game at a sports bar but found it difficult to find a place that would show the game. This finally led her to create The Sports Bra in 2021.
From Running Joke to Reality
Initially, Nguyen wasn’t sure if her business idea would work. But her enthusiasm over women's sports coupled with frustration over its lack of representation on television screens drove her to invest her life savings — about $27,000 — and give it a try, reported CNBC.
In addition to her savings, she also reportedly cobbled together $40,000 in loans from friends and family. Then in February 2022, she launched a Kickstarter with the aim of raising $48,000, but to her surprise, the campaign raised more than $105,000 in just 30 days, according to the report.
Nguyen reportedly joked about opening The Sports Bra for years before the fallout from social justice movements like #MeToo and the country's racial reckoning after George Floyd's murder left her wanting to make a meaningful impact on the world and her community.
A Successful First Year of Business
Despite Nguyen's niche business model and searing inflation sending food and beverage prices soaring, The Sports Bra raked in $944,000 in revenue in the eight months it was open in 2022, reported CNBC, citing business documents. The Sports Bra has become a popular destination for women's basketball fans, and it's not uncommon to see WNBA players there.
Making A Difference In the Community
Nguyen, who came out as a lesbian at age 17, says she doesn't always feel welcome at most traditional sports bars.
Bars like Nguyen's The Sports Bra can help those who don't always feel welcome at traditional sports bars. "I thought about, if we can even get one kid in here and have them feel like they belong in sports, it'd be worth it," said Nguyen, reported CNBC.
Ventures Beyond The Rose City
Nguyen has come far from the days when she had to turn to Kickstarter to raise money after being denied business loans by banks and small business associations. She's now taken to reaching out directly to sports networks and streaming services.
She is also planning to launch a podcast where she would get to interview female athletes and use the platform to bring attention to women's sports.
Her dream is to take The Sports Bra to other cities in the United States and says that she's in touch with other entrepreneurs.
"I would love to have as many people experience the feeling people experience when they walk through these doors," said Nguyen, reported CNBC.
"It feels very selfish to keep it to this one building that holds 40 people at a time."
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