After some arguing, the bartender eventually switched to the final. More people came in till the bar was packed with a crowd watching the United States women\u2019s national team defeat the Netherlands to defend their title.<\/p>\n
Anderson was still irked, though.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt blew my mind that I had to argue with the bartender in a sports bar to put the Women\u2019s World Cup on,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m just like, \u2018This isn\u2019t right.\u2019 And that just planted the seed that we need to have a space where women \u2014 that have dedicated their lives to these sports \u2014 have a spot where they can truly be honored and highlighted with them being on these televisions and having all these amazing people that support them come and watch them do what they love and what they\u2019ve dedicated their lives to.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Chivonn2.jpg\")
Chivonn Anderson standing outside Marsha\u2019s, at 430 South Street. (Harry Smith\/Courtesy of Marsha\u2019s)<\/p>\n
On Friday, September 19, Anderson\u2019s seed will become a reality with the grand opening of Marsha\u2019s, Philly\u2019s first-ever women\u2019s sports bar<\/a>.<\/p>\n Serendipitously, the bar is on South Street, where Woolly Mammoth used to be. Anderson said that when she and her business partner Trisha Eichelberger first heard that the space on 430 South St. was going up for sale in late 2024 \u2014 building, liquor license and all other assets \u2014 she saw it as a no-brainer. Anderson is a licensed real estate agent who also co-owned the Redcrest Kitchen in Queen Village, which closed its doors in June. She said her industry experience and previous failures have taught her what was needed to succeed with this project.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s my second time around and I understand that the only way you can truly be successful and create something that\u2019s going to last is if you own the bricks and you own the liquor license,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The bar is named after LGBTQ+ activist Marsha P. Johnson<\/a>. Anderson said that she wouldn\u2019t be where she is now, a queer woman of color who came out at age 15, if it weren\u2019t for the efforts of Johnson and others involved in the Stonewall uprising<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI just want to give her the praise that she deserves, and hopefully her energy out in the universe can feel what we\u2019re doing,\u201d Anderson said.<\/p>\n While much of the layout from Wooly Mammoth is still in place, Anderson says that the interior has been redesigned with touches that make Marsha\u2019s distinct. Bleachers from an old stadium have been brought in, along with vintage-style sports apparel hanging up and a portrait of Marsha herself over the bar. More will come with time, like plans to gather trading cards submitted<\/a> by people from their time in youth and recreational leagues and incorporate them into the bar and tabletops.<\/p>\n Anderson said that while the bar primarily highlights sports from women and the queer community, she wants the space to feel inclusive for all sports fans.<\/p>\n \u201cI want people to feel like they\u2019re coming into someone\u2019s home that they feel comfortable, they feel seen, they feel safe, and they can sit there, and they can watch women\u2019s sports, and also local Philly sports, and be around people that will hopefully eventually become family,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The future plans with the Marsha\u2019s brand is to have multiple locations and eventually franchise. But first, it\u2019s about building a welcoming space for women\u2019s sports and the LGBTQ+ community. Some of that effort will also involve highlighting those communities outside the walls of the bar. Anderson says the bar plans to reach out to local teams at all levels to try and figure out how to help them fundraise through events and get their games on the bar\u2019s screens.<\/p>\n On the professional level, Philly currently has the Philadelphia Surge, a women and gender-expansive pro ultimate frisbee team<\/a>, which completed its third season in the Premier Ultimate League this year. The WNBA announced in June that Philly will get an expansion team in 2030<\/a>, co-owned by the Sixers and Comcast Spectacor.<\/p>\n Anderson has also reached out to Watch Party PHL<\/a>, the group founded by firefighter Jen Leary (a former National Women\u2019s Football Association player) that\u2019s fundraising to open its own women\u2019s sports bar<\/a>, to offer support in their efforts to find a home in Center City next year. There\u2019s room in this town for more than one women\u2019s sports bar, and Anderson believes \u201cthe more, the merrier.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe can\u2019t have competition, we\u2019ve got to support each other,\u201d she said. \u201cYes, we\u2019re in a competitive field of where we want people to go, but I feel like Jen has a different idea of what she wants to do for her space than what we\u2019re trying to do with our space. And in this community, it\u2019s not about competition, it\u2019s about collaborating and supporting each other.\u201d<\/p>\n Owning a space on South Street also means a lot to Anderson because it was a space that helped shape her into the person she is today. She described this project as a way she can give back to the area\u2019s future, for the better.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSouth Street has gone through a lot of waves,\u201d she said. \u201cHaving the opportunity to buy a space on South Street meant that we could be a part of creating history in Philly, by not only opening the first women\u2019s sports bar, but helping to revitalize South Street and bring her into a new existence, like a new evolution of South Street.\u201d<\/p>\n Marsha\u2019s hours for its opening weekend will be Friday 4 p.m. \u2014 kicking things off with a ribbon cutting \u2014 to midnight, Saturday from noon to midnight and Sunday from noon to 10 p.m.<\/p>\n \t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Chivonn4.jpg\")
Chivonn Anderson behind the bar at Marsha\u2019s South Street. (Harry Smith\/ Courtesy of Marsha\u2019s)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Photo-Courtesy-of-Marsha_s.jpeg\")
One of the flags up at Marsha\u2019s South Street. The owner\u2019s goal for visitors: \u201cThey feel comfortable, they feel seen, they feel safe.\u201d (Harry Smith\/ Courtesy of Marsha\u2019s)<\/p>\n