A much-needed addition is coming soon to San Francisco’s boybar-dominated Castro district. Rikki’s, a women’s sports bar, will be the first lesbian-focused bar in the neighborhood in decades.
Co-founders Sara Yergovich and Danielle Thoe (pictured below) named the bar in honor of Elizabeth “Rikki” Streicher, a pioneering lesbian activist, bar owner, and co-founder of the Gay Games. The bar will take over the former Copas space at 2223 Market Street, just a few doors down from Hi-Tops, the popular gay-owned sports bar that opened in 2012.
Related: The Only Lesbian Bar In Boston Is Officially Open
Despite a growing interest in women’s sports, Yergovich and Thoe say they often had trouble finding bars that would show women’s games. “We always encountered resistance—either they wouldn’t show women’s sports or they didn’t have the right channels to stream the games,” Thoe told the Bay Area Reporter. With local teams like the Bay Football Club playing in the National Women’s Soccer League and the Golden State Valkyries soon joining the WNBA, there’s never been a better time for a space dedicated to women’s sports fans.
Slated to open by mid-2025, Rikki’s will honor Streicher’s legacy of creating welcoming spaces for women. Streicher owned two landmark lesbian bars in San Francisco—Maud’s and Amelia’s—and advocated for women’s participation in sports. Yergovich, who lives in the Castro, said naming the bar after Streicher was an easy decision. “Rikki was a key figure in the community, and we want to continue her work of building spaces for women.”
Related: Denver’s Only Lesbian Bar Is Closing Its Doors
San Francisco has a few bars for queer women like Jolene’s in the Mission and Wild Side West in Bernal Heights. That leaves the Castro–one of the first gay neighborhoods in the country–without a lesbian-centered watering hole. Local groups are thrilled that Rikki’s is filling the gap. “Everyone is really excited that the Castro will have a place more focused on women,” Thoe said.
Since announcing the project in August, Yergovich and Thoe have raised nearly $244,000 of their $425,000 goal through crowdfunding and hosting women’s sports watch parties. Those who contribute $2,500 or more will be invited to a private opening.
