Caitlin Clark’s success in the WNBA, the boom in women’s soccer clubs like Angel City and the growing fan base of the LA Sparks are just three reasons why Jax Diener and Emi Eddy believe creating a sports bar for female athletes would bring in customers.
“There’s a big movement going on right now! This has been bubbling under the surface for years, and now the day has finally come,” said Diener, who has dreamed of opening a venue for women’s sports for more than 30 years. “Stadiums are full now, arenas are full now.”
And she’s hoping to fill up seats at Watch Me, a bar set in an old Mexican restaurant off PCH in Long Beach that’s scheduled to open in July in time for the Olympics.
The name comes from the fact that female athletes often have to prove themselves by showing doubters what they can do.
The sports bar for women’s sports has proven to be quite successful.
Sports Bra is set to open in Portland, Oregon in 2022. According to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It, the restaurant made $944,000 in revenue in its first eight months after opening.
Diener and Eddy are hoping to replicate that kind of success in Long Beach, with a primary focus on girls sports.
“It’s 95 percent women’s sports. We love the Dodgers and we’re NHL fans, so we’ll show that, but most of the TV will be showing women’s sports,” Diener said.
First step: Build your space.
The couple only took over the former restaurant last week and now have just six to seven weeks to transform it into the venue of their dreams in time for the Olympics.
It is scheduled to be open every day during the Olympics, but will reduce to five days a week after the closing ceremony.
“I “This is exactly what California needs,” Eddy said. “I think this is the first example, and I think we’ll see a lot more.”
