Beloved Phoenix bar was just named one of the best in US

Boycott Bar, the longest-running lesbian bar in the Melrose District, made national news this week: The Phoenix favorite was one of 27 included on the 2024 USA TODAY Bars of the Year list. The list was created by USA TODAY Network food writers across the country and includes everything from humble dives to high-end cocktail bars.

"Are you serious?! You made my whole week," owner Audrey Corley said. "What a great honor to serve people. I came from west Phoenix and I had a dream of owning a bar and it happened and I owned another and a restaurant now," she said, referring to Dahlia Tapas, Tequila and Wine.

What makes Boycott Bar stand out

Boycott Bar is understated from the outside and inside, cozy banquettes and high tops line the periphery of the open space where women come to meet each other, dance the night away and sing karaoke. It's also a place where people gather for fundraisers and political actions that support women's rights.

Large photos of iconic women like Audrey Hepburn, Frida Kahlo, Billie Holiday, Amelia Earhart and Marylin Monroe deck the walls. But the one photo that matters most, hung behind the bar, shows the owner's young mother holding Corley's then-infant sister. The tables are also decorated with pictures of suffragettes, friends and Corley's partner.

Corley started Boycott as a roaming party on July 16, 2004. When her shift at the bar she was working at ended, she said she had nowhere to go out. She didn't think she was alone. "So I did a nonsmoking women's event at a restaurant and I said, 'I'm gonna pack this place up.'"

That night, 452 women showed up. "I knew that night that I had something special."

Who needs the apps? Boycott, a lesbian party turned iconic bar, marks 20 years in Phoenix

Boycott is a place to 'congregate, celebrate'

She kept the events going and their popularity grew. "We passed out cards at events with my friends," she said. "It was old-fashioned marketing."

Then, in 2017, she had the opportunity to take over the building that now houses Boycott, one of only 33 lesbian bars remaining in the United States. There she was able to live into her mission to create a safe space for women, for the LGBTQ+ community, for anyone looking for a place to "congregate, celebrate and even to grieve."

"I am so proud of Boycott. Boycott has opened doors for me to do other things. I'm grateful to the Lesbian Bar Project for the exposure," she said. "But more so I'm grateful for our communities, our allies and family and friends. Without them, I wouldn't be who I am."

Boycott Bar in Phoenix

Details: 4301 N. Seventh Ave., Phoenix; 602-825-6240, linktr.ee/boycottbar1.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix gay bar named one of the best in US