Jolene Jolene sports bar finds permanent Atlanta home

ATLANTA - After two years of pop-ups and a residency at Pullman Yards, Jolene Jolene, an Atlanta women’s sports bar, has secured a permanent location.

The backstory:

Founder Chelsea Fishman was inspired to create the space after attending the Women’s World Cup. Her goal is to build a community where women’s sports are the primary focus rather than a secondary option.

A Kickstarter campaign is underway to raise $50,000 to finalize the new venue. While Fishman has not yet disclosed the exact address, she said she intends for the bar to serve as a cultural landmark and a hub for Atlanta’s professional women’s sports fans.

What they're saying:

Jolene Jolene founder Chelsea Fishman says the project has moved past the conceptual phase and into the physical. "Right now, we have a location and we are getting ready to move into it and get everything going," Fishman said.

By making women's athletics the focus of the sports bar, Fishman hopes to foster a more inclusive environment. "Creating a place where you know it’s going to be on, you don’t have to ask, means that you can go and watch it, but you also know other people will be there watching it," she explained.

While Fishman notes that gaining resources for women's sports has historically been a slow process, the recent surge in interest has changed the game. "The past couple years it’s kind of just exploded, which has just been so fun as someone who has followed it my whole life," she said.

With a rich history of professional women’s teams in the South, Fishman sees Jolene Jolene as a necessary champion for those athletes. "I feel like we’re in a unique space because of our sports culture... being in Atlanta, we have actual pro women’s teams alongside our men’s teams and we want to champion all of that," she said.

To cross the finish line, Fishman turned to a Kickstarter campaign, which saw immediate support from the local community. "People love women’s sports. And more than that, people just love being together around women’s sports," Fishman said. "Watching games and watching these athletes is really I mean, it’s amazing and it’s inspiring," she added.

Ultimately, Fishman isn't just looking to open a bar; she's looking to build a legacy. "My vision for Jolene Jolene has always been to not just be the home of women’s sports, but to be a staple of Atlanta," she said. "I want to be a place that when you think of Atlanta, it’s one of the things you think of," she added.

What you can do:

You can find out more about her Kickstarter campaign at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/chelseafishman/jolene-jolene-sports-bar-0.