A new lesbian bar is set to make history as the “first” to launch in San Francisco’s Castro District in “decades”.

Sara Yergovich and Danielle Thoe, two queer business partners and friends, have signed a lease to launch the new women’s sports bar called Rikki’s. According to local outlet The Bay Area Reporter, the upcoming venue is believed to be the first new lesbian-themed bar to launch in The Castro in decades.

Named after the LGBTQ+ activist Rikki Streicher, the bar is set to take over the former venue of the Mexican restaurant Copas, which closed down in 2024. 

The business partners met via the non-profit LGBTQ+ organisation San Francisco Spikes, where they reflected on the difficulty of trying to find a venue in the city which streams women’s sports.

Co-owner Thoe told the outlet: “The origin was us trying to watch sports together at bars with friends and having trouble with traditional sports bars not wanting to put women’s sports on or not having the right streaming services or channels.

“Women’s sports are growing very rapidly, and I want to watch the sports,” Thoe explained.

Located on Market Street, Rikki’s is just a stone’s throw from fellow gay-owned sports bar Hi-Tops. Hi-Tops has been in business since December 2012, with partners Matt Kajiwara and Dana Gleim making history after launching the “first-ever” queer sports venue in the Castro.