W Sports Bar Closing May 3, Plans Relocation

W Sports Bar will close its current space after a year, with ownership eyeing a move closer to the city’s sports hubs.

by Douglas Trattner | Apr. 23, 2026 | 11:45 AM

Courtesy of the W Sports Bar

On May 3rd, W Sports Bar at 5428 Detroit Ave. in Detroit Shoreway will close its doors after exactly one year in business. As Cleveland’s first women-owned sports bar, the venue established itself as a haven for fans of women’s sporting events.

“Cleveland women’s sports fans do not have a consistent space to call home to rally with other fans and show their love of the game,” management stated. “We plan to change that."

When it closes, it will be the second business to close at that address within a year and a half. Banter, whose spot W claimed, shuttered in early 2025.

But this may not be the end of the line for women’s sports fans; the owners are pledging to explore new options.

“After an incredible run in Gordon Square, we’ll be closing our current location on Sunday, May 3rd, but this isn’t goodbye, it’s a move… literally,” they say. “We’re exploring what’s next for The W, with our sights set on getting closer to the game day action.”

The odds-on favorite for that new location would be somewhere downtown, in the vicinity of Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, where Cleveland’s WNBA team will return to the courts in 2028.

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Douglas Trattner

For 25 years, Douglas Trattner has worked as a full-time freelance writer, editor and author. His work as co-author on Michael Symon's cookbooks have earned him four New York Times Best-Selling Author honors, while his longstanding role as Scene dining editor has garnered awards of its own.