Meet Jen Barnes, the owner of Rough & Tumble Pub in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood. When Jen couldn’t find a bar or any place outside her living room to watch the 2021 OL Reign’s semi-final playoff game, she was inspired to create Rough & Tumble, Seattle’s pub for women’s sports. Rough & Tumble opened in Old Ballard in 2022 and has become a go-to sports bar that is welcoming, inclusive, inspiring, and, most importantly, fun. With 18 screens and space for more than 150 people (including a covered, heated deck), this spot refers to itself as the most intimate stadium experience Seattle has to offer.
Come grab a cold one and watch ALL the sports!
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What’s your favorite part about the community in business is in and why?
Rough &Tumble, Seattle’s first-ever home to women’s sports, is making watching women’s sports and athletes accessible to everyone!
Why is it important to you and your business that people #SpendLkeitMatters?
Spending our hard-earned dollars at diverse small businesses is investing in community, in women, in BIPOC, and creates a safety net for our communities.
As a business owner, what’s the strangest or craziest idea you’ve ever tried?
Opening Rough & Tumble is the craziest idea ever… in and of itself, it’s so novel that it is the only place like it in the world and requires a constant, daily pushing of the envelope and stepping outside of business norms.
What’s something your customers may not know about you or your business?
We’re an all-ages, full-service restaurant, and bar that welcomes all ages! Babies, kids, teens, college kids… we made Rough & Tumble for everyone, including folks under age 21 so that everyone, especially young girls and women, are able to see what equality in sports looks like.
What are some of your favorite local businesses and why?
Yonder Cider and Stoup Brewing are examples of women- and/or queer-owned businesses that go out of their way to lift up others in the industry and have incredible track records of success themselves.