Blazers, A New Women’s Sports Bar, Is Opening In Brooklyn

Featured Image: (L-R) Caroline Kane, Debany Dávila, and Chandler Robertson. Photo by Luis Preciado.

A lawyer, a bartender, and a business consultant walk into a gutted-out space in Williamsburg. What do you get? Well, a women’s sports bar, of course! 

Caroline Kane, Chandler Robertson, and Debany Dávila are in the midst of renovations for their brand new bar, Blazers, on Bedford Ave. Earlier this month, the trio brought GO inside for a sneak peek as they continue to rip through the previous owner’s design, including actually ripping out the ceiling! “It was being held up by zip ties and duct tape,” Dávila exclaims. “There were wires everywhere, like going through walls…The craziness was just getting it as clean as we could.” 

If you’ve ever been to Old Man Hustle, the bar that formerly called 308 Bedford Ave home, you may recognize the layout. The front door opens to a small room with a long bar, spanning over half of the wall to your left. Windows stretch the length of the entrance, which helps to open up the space and light up the bar. Behind the bar is a brick wall, which Robertson says they will be keeping because who doesn’t love a little brick? Walking towards the back, you’ll pass the bar’s kitchen on your left (more on the delicious menu they’ll be cooking up later) and the bathroom on your right. 

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Then, the space opens to a wide back room. Very Ginger’s-esque, minus the outdoor space. The only thing they’ll be keeping from this room, according to Robertson, is a disco ball hung in the middle of the ceiling. “We’ll figure out a way to light it up,” she says. A bright blue wall, which is currently a major eyesore, will be chipped away to reveal more brick. TVs will adorn the corners, playing women’s sports of every category from basketball to ultimate frisbee. 

“We don’t want it to feel like what you might expect from a sports bar,” Robertson explains. “We would really like it to feel like a space that is open and light and someplace you would want to go even if the game wasn’t on.” 

“Now that we have a space, we get to put on the [games] that people don’t,” Dávila adds, bringing up her love for Mexican women’s soccer. “Now I don’t have to struggle to find it at home. It’s like the stuff that we don’t get to watch that is going to be so exciting.”

Blazers, which originates from the word “trailblazers,” will stay true to its name by intentionally highlighting trailblazing women athletes throughout the bar. One big way, Dávila says, is through a mural in the bar, which will be done, in part, by a muralist who collaborated with Watch Me! women’s sports bar in Long Beach. 

Now, back to that menu. Blazers is keeping with the ‘nontraditional sports bar’ vibe when it comes to their food. Something close to Dávila’s heart are the Mexican-inspired items, including Mexican hot dogs, which are bacon-wrapped and topped with diced tomatoes and onions. They’ve also recently begun conversations with liquor distributors and hope to incorporate as many women and queer-owned brands as possible. 

Another original aspect of Blazers is its origin story. Kane, Robertson, and Dávila met through a dating app. Dávila and Robertson both met Kane, separately, through the app. Rather than go the original first date route (boring), Kane arranged for a group to go to a New York Liberty game and invited her two former-suitors-now-just-friends. 

 “We’re gay,” Dávila laughs. 

After that first meeting, the three clicked. Kane and Robertson even managed to convert Dávila, who is originally from Texas, from an Aces fan to a “die-hard” Liberty fan. An admirable feat.

Nearly two years later, Kane mentioned, in passing, her dream job to Robertson: bringing a women’s sports bar to New York. Robertson ran with it, citing how difficult it was at that time to catch a Liberty game without calling ahead. Dávila, always the business-brain, said, “Get a business plan together, and I’m in.” 

“It took about six months, I think, for me to be like, ‘Okay, wait. I guess we actually are doing this, and you guys want to do this,” Kane says. 

They had their first official meeting in January 2024, only a few months after Kane sprang the idea, and officially signed their lease this July. And the reality is still setting in. 

“Every day, honestly, I’m like, ‘Dude, we have a bar,’” Dávila says. “We just can’t believe it, but I think our North Star is always just women’s sports. I mean, even if it’s hard and we doubt ourselves, we’re three people who just want to see women’s sports get the center stage that they deserve.”

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It might be hard to believe at times, but that’s not slowing this group down. They’ve already built up an audience through hosting watch parties at The Rosemont and Starr Bar.

They’ve also had a great response to their merch, designed by Robertson. Hats, t-shirts, and hoodies blazoned with their logo, designed by their friend Riley, and their mission: “Watch more women’s sports.” 

“We wanted it to be the biggest way that we could say that,” Robertson explains. “And so I went through a few designs, [Kane] and [Dávila] would veto some of them and tell me that I could do better.”

“That’s that phenomenal creativeness that’s in all of us,” Dávila adds. “And we’re figuring out the different ways to bring that out.” 

Working together, as three friends and co-owners, has been a blessing. It allows them to keep their day jobs and pick up the slack when someone needs help. Between watch parties, merch, paperwork, and starting renovations earlier this August, it’s a tough job to balance. 

“We are genuinely, really good friends, so we see each other a lot outside of this,” Kane says. “We’re able to have conversations when we need to.”

“There’s no way I could do this alone,” Robertson adds, looking at her two friends. “I think we’ve all been really good…making sure everyone’s plate feels manageable. We’re all working other jobs right now. There’s no easy solution for how to balance it. But I’m still so happy every day to show up and put in work, even when it’s hard and stressful.” 

Something good that has come out of all the pre-opening stress, Kane says, is the doors it may open for others. The three co-owners were inspired by The Sports Bra in Portland and Watch Me! in Long Beach, and have been welcomed with open arms by other women’s sports bars in NYC, like Athena Keke’s, and the lesbian bars. The support from other bar owners has been overwhelming and a major key to their success. 

“Everyone is willing to answer a question, and it makes you really feel like it’s possible,” Roberterson says. “So many of them have also never done this before, and are such kind people. They are all a really great version of a boss or a bar owner that you would want to be—kind, smart, and open to sharing.”

Now, they hope Blazers could be that guiding light for someone else. 

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“We have been filming everything,” Kane says. “All of our meetings, everything we’re doing in the bar, all the renovations—because we want to be able to share that and show other people it’s possible for you to do this too. We all have jobs and lives, and have never opened a bar. And it’s still possible.” 

As their work continues, their opening day is still up in the air. The trio says they would love to be open as soon as tomorrow, but realistically, it’s too early to nail down a set date. The earliest they hope to be open is this winter. At the latest, they hope they’re open in time for March Madness. 

For Kane, Robertson, and Dávila, the concerns surrounding opening day are a mile long. Logistics, the mounting renovations, constant trips to the hardware store, and balancing their day jobs (while still trying to manage having a life) all seem overwhelming. But, they say, it will all be worth it when they can open their doors to their community. 

“I have this vision of a packed bar, and there’s like a great three-pointer, or a buzzer-beater shot, and the whole place just erupts in cheers,” Robertson says, with a huge grin. “I got to create this from the ground up with two people who I feel so lucky to have in my life, and yeah, I’m probably gonna cry on opening day.” 

“Sometimes we joke about Ellie [the Elephant] showing up. That would be my dream,” Dávila throws in. Someone get the Liberty on the phone, now. We’ll see you there, Ellie. 

You can follow Blazers on Instagram @blazerssportsbar to keep up with all the behind-the-scenes, and who knows, you may be inspired to open your own bar.