In 2019, Chivonn Anderson went to a South Philadelphia sports bar in hopes of watching the finals match of the FIFA Women’s World Cup soccer tournament. She’d just come back from Europe, where she got to see one of the matches live — an “incredible” experience, she said.

She wanted to tune into the championship game — with the USA battling against the Netherlands for the title. Some of the biggest names in women’s sports were on the field, including LGBTQ+ activist Megan Rapinoe, who was appearing in the tournament for the third time. She ended up scoring a whopping six goals, including the 50th goal of her professional soccer career, during the match.

But Anderson had to fight with bartenders to put on the game.

“I thought that was a complete disgrace,” she said. “I was like, ‘This is the FIFA World Cup. It’s the United States in the championship match, and we have to fight with you to get this on? We’re in a sports bar.”

That moment planted a seed, she explained, which is finally ready to bear fruit this summer. Anderson, joined by business partner Trisha Eichelberger, is launching Marsha’s — Philadelphia’s first women’s sports bar.

The bar’s name is an homage to activist Marsha P. Johnson, a Black trans woman who played a key role in the 1969 Stonewall rebellion — a major catalyst for the LGBTQ+ rights movement — and remained a prominent figure in LGBTQ+ history throughout her life.

“I’m buying this property as a queer woman of color — and I wouldn’t be at the table if it wasn’t for her and Sylvia Rivera and all of the other people that stood up and said, ‘No more,’” Anderson said. “They gave me the opportunity to be doing what I’m doing right now.”

“In Philly, we’re all about honoring our founding fathers,” she underlined. “Well, I’m supporting and loving my founding mother.”

Anderson is excited to host events for big games but will keep the most of the TVs tuned into women’s sports (and Philadelphia’s local teams) even when there isn’t a major tournament to watch. She’s looking forward to building a relationship with Watch Party PHL, which hosts gatherings at venues around the city to watch women’s sports and develop community. The group’s organizers are currently raising money to launch their own women’s sports bar.

“I’m really looking forward to being able to see what I can create with them — and maybe I can help them find their own space,” said Anderson, who is a real estate agent and brokered this deal herself.

“It’s not just about doing this for myself,” she underlined, noting that the women’s sports community is continuing to grow. “It’s about this for everybody — supporting each other in every way we possibly can.”

Watch Party PHL, which is also headed up by queer women, has demonstrated that there is a massive fan base for women’s sports in the surrounding area. Coupled with the constant yearning for a lesbian bar, it’s clear that Philly needs more tangible places that center LGBTQ+ women, sapphics and people of marginalized gender experiences.

Chivonn Anderson inside the venue of Marsha’s. (Photo: Harry Smith)

That’s part of Anderson’s focus too — creating a safer place for people who don’t identify as cis men to go.

“They need a space where they can go and feel safe supporting and cheering on their favorite teams — or when they’re wanting to just go out and sit at a bar and watch tennis and not get harassed,” she said.

“It’s important to me — because I came out at 15, and South Street was the only place I could go where I felt comfortable and safe growing up,” Anderson continued, explaining that the vintage shops, record and book stores, and diners helped her find a sense of herself and offered a place to be when she otherwise felt she was part of “an endangered species.”

Now it’s come full circle, she said.

Marsha’s will be located at the site of what was previously Woolly Mammoth, 430 South St., which closed in May. As a South Philly business owner, she learned through her connections in October 2024 that the owner of Woolly Mammoth was potentially selling the building, liquor license and business assets. Anderson was a part owner and the director of development at Redcrest Kitchen — a restaurant that just closed abruptly this week after 10 years in operation due to the majority owner’s health concerns.

Negotiations started in November, and the space officially became Marsha’s on June 20 — but some renovations have to take place. She hired a local designer to create a vibe that isn’t quite like anywhere else — “sleek and sexy, a little big extra,” she said.

“I want it to look like a sports bar you’ve never walked into in your life,” she said.

She hopes to open the doors to customers in mid-to-late August. For those who aren’t into sports, LGBTQ+ films and television shows will be on in other areas of the bar. The second floor will offer an additional bar and event space (similar to the upstairs section at Tattooed Mom), where she hopes to book burlesque and drag shows, live performances and dance parties.

The venue will be for ages 21+ but will serve mocktails in addition to alcoholic beverages, like signature Marsharitas. The team is also attempting to put together a menu that is inclusive to various dietary restrictions with a create-your-own fried rice dish. Cultivating a place where everyone feels like there’s something for them to enjoy is important to Anderson.

Although she’s owned and helped support various eateries and businesses in the 25 years she’s been in the industry, this is the first venture Anderson is financing all on her own. She had to take out a small business loan to get started — but she said timing just felt right. And owning the physical building will help to build a strong foundation for the bar to become a longstanding fixture in the community.

“That’s what I want to do with Marsha’s,” she said. “I want to make it an anchor for Philadelphia — for the queer community, for the sports community, and for anybody that just wants to go out and have fun and feel safe and be seen.”

It’s also for “women in sports all over the place,” she said. “I want them to know that we see them, and we want to create a space where they can be celebrated for dedicating their lives to something.”

For more information on Marsha’s, visit marshassouthstreet.com. You can also follow Marsha’s on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.