Meet The Team
Founded in the Summer of 2022, The Brass Strap is a co-op led by a board of dedicated queer community organizers and service workers that are opening a cooperatively owned Lesbian & Queer bar in Minneapolis. Instead of being owned by one person or one company, it's owned by the people who support it.
That means our community gets a real say in how the space grows by becoming members and voting on important decisions.
We aim to provide an inclusive space for an intergenerational, intersectional community of Twin Cities residents to connect, share skills, support local artists, build chosen families, and above all else — feel safe & seen.
Meet the Team
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CJ Jennings (they/them)
Co-Founder & Project Coordinator
CJ is Originally from St. Louis, Missouri. They moved to Minneapolis 6 years ago and have made a home here and found a beautiful community. They love making spaces and drinks for queers when not hitting the books to become an attorney! CJ's go to drink is Utepils' Ewald the Golden.
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MADDY FLISK (SHE/HER)
Co-Founder & Membership Coordinator
Maddy is originally from Chicago, but in the past 7 years Minneapolis has become her home. She has worked in the service and healthcare industries, and is currently a labor organizer, and of course Brass Strap cofounder! Her drink of choice is a mezcal margarita.
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Nel Muñoz (She/Her)
Co-Founder & Culinary Director
Nel is a filmmaker, musician, and cook who has worked in the service industry for 10 plus years. With her art and community work, she is working to create a world that the kid version of her would love. Her favorite drink is Fernet.
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Jade Park (SHE/HER)
Co-Founder & General Manager
Jade Park was most recently the founder and president of Unmapped Brewing Company and Base Camp Coffee & Provisions in Minnetonka. Since 2015, Jade has garnered extensive first-hand experience in business cultivation and management from the idea phase to the growth + expansion phase. She looks forward to taking this experience with her to The Brass Strap and managing the cooperative at the ground level on a day-to-day basis with a spirit of inclusivity and queer joy.
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Erica Kale (SHE/HER)
Erica is originally from Fargo ND. She moved to Minneapolis in 2023 and has been forming friendships and connecting with the community ever since. She is a Marketing & Development Director for a community nonprofit that focuses on placemaking and belonging. She particularly loves bouldering, hammocking, kayaking and any other summer activities ending in -ing. Her go to drink is any NA cocktail on the menu.
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Sydney W. (She/Her)
Sydney moved from the New Orleans area in 2022, and works in medical imaging at a children’s hospital. Since coming out as transgender in 2025, she has quickly found a new home and family in the Minneapolis queer community. She is currently in the middle of a career change, and plans to pivot into bartending while she studies to be a substance abuse counselor. Her go-to drink is a Dark Daiquiri (in moderation)!
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Aya Lee (They/She)
Aya is a Milwaukee transplant who moved to Minneapolis in 2020 and quickly developed an attachment to lakes and an admiration for the jarring amount of time Minnesotans willingly spend outside in winter. They've been organizing since age 15 and have spent the last several years working in communications, translating social and political issues into stories people can actually connect with. Outside of that, you'll find them creating, dancing, collecting and burning CDs, or throwing very necessary elaborate theme parties. Most sightings of Aya include a cocktail (anything Mezcal, Cosmo, or French 75) and at least one strong opinion.
FAQs
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We are currently working with a broker to find the perfect space, but we need your help to make this a reality! Your membership will help us get the capital we need to get our space. Check out our membership options here!
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We anticipate opening in 2026. We have come a long way since our first event back in 2022, but we still have some work to do! It took us time to build a team of consultants, advisors, and collaborators who have taught us and mentored us over the past two years. This support, alongside our dedicated communities lifting us up, have set us up for success with a strong foundation to continue to build from.
Our next steps:
Find our space
Raise the capital needed to secure our loan
Build out our space
Secure licensing
Open, and STAY open for generations!
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Being cooperatively-owned means that many different people each own a small piece of The Brass Strap. No single person owns the whole business or has more say in decisions than the next person. Instead, members help shape the future of the co-op by voting on important issues and electing the Board of Directors.
A co-op is a business that is owned by the people that use it and work there, instead of one owner or a group of outside investors.
Imagine opening a lemonade stand. Normally, one person pays for everything, owns everything, and keeps all the profits. A co-op works differently. Lots of people help build it together. Because everyone helped make it happen, everyone gets a voice in how it's run.
Instead of decisions being made by one owner, they're made democratically.
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Memberships are NOW OPEN! This is a huge step forward for us, and we could not be more excited to welcome you all as member-owners. Check out our membership options here, and as always, do not hesitate to shoot us an email if you are confused or would like to talk through something with us.
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The biggest way you can support is by becoming a member! Your ownership helps us raise the capital we need to get the space and get it running. You can also donate to, and circulate, our GoFundMe! Your donations help us get one step closer to signing a lease, building our dream bar, and opening our doors to our community.
We also would love to hear from you! This bar is a community project, so we need to hear your input. Reach out to us at TheBrassStrap@gmail.com with your comments, questions, and concerns.