For Audrey Corley, the 1990s and early 2000s in Phoenix were highlighted by a vibrant landscape: the existence of at least five lesbian bars. These were the ideal places to meet with friends, seek refuge, and, of course, party. But as time passed by, these spaces began to close one by one.
Today, only one remains: Boycott Bar. And it is no coincidence that it is Corley’s very own.
Born and raised in Phoenix, Corley has become a pioneer of hospitality in The Valley. In addition to Boycott, she owns the Dahlia Tapas Tequila & Wine restaurant and Title 9 sports bar.
But behind business success lies a mission that has remained unchanged: creating community. For Corley, her businesses are not simply places to eat or drink but meeting points. She strives to foster a sense of belonging, both inside and outside her establishments.
While many of the bars she remembered have disappeared, Boycott remains not only a thriving business, but a testament to the history and resilience of a community. Corley is not just a successful entrepreneur; she is the guardian of a place that remains essential for many.
But the journey has not been an easy one. There have been many ups and downs for the entrepreneur, yet she affirms that those very obstacles are the main driving force behind everything she has built and continues developing.
“Every tragedy and every celebration and every moment that happened led me to where I am today,” Corley said. “It’s always been worth it, but it’s never been easy.”
The effort, passion, and mission that drives Corley have born fruit in diverse ways — from honorable recognitions such as Bar of the Year in 2024 and the Phoenix Mercury Believe in Women award in 2025, to her participation in the documentary Lesbian Bar Project, which includes an episode titled “Coach A” dedicated to Boycott Bar.
How basketball saved her life
Before Corley went into hospitality, basketball was one of her greatest passions. It still is.
She began diving into sports during childhood and focused on basketball in fifth grade but suffered an injury. In middle school, Corley tried to resume playing but was met with another injury, prompting her to take a break from the sport.
High school was a period that Corley describes as not so favorable. Corley said that she “got in trouble” and was “not really doing the right thing sometimes.” But it was after this phase that she decided it was time for a change.
Corley attended Phoenix College, where she earned a degree in business management, and decided to get back into basketball despite her long break from the sport. When she talked to her coach, Cassie Sawyer, about her inactive years, Corley recalls with a laugh that Sawyer looked at her and said, “you’re crazy,” but never doubted her ability—and she was not wrong. With perseverance and dedication, Corley returned to the sport, not only as a player but also as a coach years later.
“It was like a whole new way of life that I had to learn. It was something that was crazy for me. But I did it,” she said. “And it was probably one of the best things. I attribute basketball to saving my life.”
But in addition to saving her life, the skills she acquired through basketball and coaching other players shaped her entrepreneurial spirit.
The inspiration behind Boycott Bar
Corley immersed herself in the bar industry at 18, when she started working as a bartender and instantly felt at home and started dreaming big about opening her own bar.
The inspiration behind Boycott came from Girl Bar, a long-running and popular lesbian party promoter based in Los Angeles. Corley’s initial idea was creating a space focused on a “club scene” with music and making it non-smoking.
In July 2004, Corley launched Boycott, which initially consisted of parties for queer women.
“I wanted more of an elevated space. I wanted to be the hottest spot to go to have a good time and maybe find the love of your life that night?” she said.
In 2017, Boycott became a bar located in Melrose District after Rhonda Walden, former owner of another lesbian bar in the Valley who passed away in 2023, proposed Corley take over the building where she had operated their bar since the 1980s.
After taking over the building and making it her “home,” Boycott became synonym of family for Corley and the community that visits the place.
“I’ve watched this evolve for the last 21 years. This is something that has to have longevity and be here for our community, because it’s more than just a bar or a dance club or an event,” Corley said. “This is where people come whether they’re mourning or celebrating, happy or sad. Sometimes, we’re the only lifeline for some people.”
“When I think of family, family is a word we use to describe the Queer community, and that’s how I feel about Boycott,” she added.
‘I don’t know how to quit’
Over the years, Corley witnessed other bars in the Valley, such as Ain’t Nobody’s Biz, Cash Inn Country and E-Lounge, close their doors. In fact, that scenario was one that Boycott came very close to experiencing, specifically during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It was scary,” she said. “But I don’t know how to give up on something that I love.”
Thanks to her circle and mentors, Boycott managed to create a large community during this time that kept the bar active. Corley recalled that bittersweet moment during the pandemic when they continued to serve “drinks to go” to the Melrose community.
“We showed up every day. We would sit outside in the parking lot because people didn’t have people to talk to,” she said. “A lot of the people in our community are elderly too; they would just come out there, sit 10 feet away in a chair and we would just talk. We would have space and community.”
Today, Boycott is a symbol of resilience, as it is not just the only lesbian bar left in Phoenix, but also one of the 38 remaining in the United States, according to the Lesbian Bar Project.
“I think it’s an honor. But with that honor, there comes also a responsibility that I have to still stand for my community,” Corley said. “I have to be there, and I have to be open to learning to grow as the years change.”
‘We have to grow together‘
But that resilience doesn’t only exist within the walls of the iconic bar. In recent years, Corley has expanded her legacy to other corners of the Valley of the Sun.
In 2023, the Arizonan opened Dahlia Tapas Tequila & Wine, a restaurant in Phoenix’s Coronado neighborhood that fuses Spanish and Mexican flavors, creating a unique and sophisticated dining experience for everyone who visits.
In 2025, Corley and her colleague Kat Moore co-founded Title 9 sports grill — the first in Arizona focused on celebrating and highlighting women’s sports.
And the journey doesn’t end here, the entrepreneur said. Corley pretends to “keep on being that space that continues to be welcoming and grows with time.”
Corley also mentioned having ongoing projects to continue expanding hand in hand with the community that has accompanied her, whether through Boycott, Dahlia Tapas, Title 9 or other milestones she has achieved along the way. And, of course, along with her support system that includes her mother, sister, and partner. Because, for Corley, that’s what it’s been all about: growing and celebrating together.
“My biggest philosophy is that one; we have to grow together,” Corley said.