Proposed Philly Lesbian Bar Falls Short of Indiegogo Goal

Over the past month former Sisters manager Denise Cohen has been working to raise funds for a new Gayborhood lesbian bar. She was seeking to crowdsource donations from Indiegogo, but it didn’t quite seem to pan out. The campaign ended on August 23rd, and she was only able to generate $7,275 of her lofty $50,000 goal. That’s a mere 15 percent.

I reached out to her and she wasn’t immediately able to offer much feedback. But she did tell me that this doesn’t mean the plan is off. “The project is still in the works. I am working on another way to finalize the funding.”

She wasn’t able to specify, and I haven’t had a lot of luck getting in touch with her to find out more. 

Perhaps part of the reason for the failed campaign is that details on the bar are pretty vague. All she told us last month is that “it’s within the area of the Gayborhood. It’s a good location, with room to allow us to do many different things—food, dancing, entertainment—but it won’t be as large as Sisters.”

Would be great to see a lesbian bar in the Gayborhood again, but is the failed campaign a sign that it wouldn’t work?

She would say absolutely not. “Sisters was around for 17 years. It was long-term. Was it a huge money-maker? Absolutely not, but there will be bodies who come out. They will support it.”

She even told me that she’s risking her entire life savings, and depending on donations from family and friends. “It’s a big risk, but I know I can do it. It just all comes down to community support.”

We wish her the best. Stay tuned to G Philly for any more updates.