Soccer bar in St. Paul celebrates six years of growing a space for all fans
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Founded in the 1960s, it was once the oldest gay bar in St. Paul, and under new ownership, The Black Hart became a designated soccer bar for fans of all backgrounds.
This Labor Day weekend, the bar celebrated six years.
Wes Burdine, the owner, celebrated with the bar's weekly Bocce Ball Club.
"In many ways, it's a way of marking how far the bar has come," said Burdine.
Part of their growth is an outdoor patio built last year, allowing even more soccer fans to come and cheer on their favorite teams.
"I support Minnesota United, Liverpool FC, St. Pauli, a German Bundesliga team, so we watch all of our games here," said David Zeller, who considers himself a Black Hart regular.
He came to The Black Hart for soccer but stuck around for something much more than that.
"I've met a lot of friends. People that I probably never would have interacted with," said Zeller.
In the last six years, the Black Hart has become home for a lot of sports fans in the Queer community, especially those who want to support women's sports.
Aurora soccer fans gravitate to The Black Hart for away games, and the bar shuttles fans to Eagan for home games.
The Black Hart also has U.S. National Soccer watch parties, proudly celebrating that with a Megan Rapinoe mural overlooking the patio. Rapinoe herself stopped by in 2021 to see it in person.
Burdine says he wants his bar to cater to the crowd of sports fans who won't find their team playing at larger bars.
"If you are a cricket fan, we will find a way to put on cricket for you. If you want to watch this really obscure soccer team in the 2nd division of France, we will find that for you," said Burdine.
As for the future of this space, they want to offer more events and clubs, like weekly bocce ball, for customers to find their perfect fit in this space.
The Black Hart has a lot of events coming up in September.