Brothers, left, and Manning

Seattle is remembering Shelley Brothers, co-owner of Capitol Hill’s The Wildrose.

The iconic lesbian bar announced her passing Monday night:

It is with profound sadness that the Wildrose family shares the passing of our beloved Shelley, long-term family, friend, and co-owner of the Rose. She gave her life to this bar, ensuring that it remained a safe, welcoming space for generations of queer people to gather, celebrate, and find communion.

“Shelley was always there, always available, always ready with a warm smile. She was a community presence in the truest sense- fiercely dedicated, endlessly generous, and deeply loved,” the statement reads. “A pillar of Seattle’s LGBTQIA+ community, Shelley was a force. An icon. And a protector. Her impact is immeasurable, and her absence leaves a void that can never truly be filled. But her love, her kindness, and her unwavering commitment to this community will live on.”

Brothers and Manning in a portrait from Seattle’s 50th anniversary of Pride

Brothers, 67, and Martha Manning have been co-owners of the ‘Rose since 2005, although both told CHS they were working and drinking at the bar years before taking it over.

Brothers’s passing comes just weeks after The Wildrose celebrated its 40th anniversary with a claim as the longest-running lesbian bar in the nation.

A decade ago as the ‘Rose marked 30 years, Brothers told CHS about the important of the E Pike bar as a place of safety. When she arrived in Seattle in 1992, Brothers said places like the Wildrose were leery of male patrons. “It was a time when there was a lot of violence towards gay women,” Brothers said.

She also said she was proud her bar could be a place for people to seek out and find their communities.

“Many of our customers come from areas where there’s not any type of gay bar, much less a lesbian bar,” Brothers told CHS.

Honored over the years with business and humanitarian awards and selected for things like leading the city’s annual Pride parade, Brothers also was involved in efforts to boost the Pike/Pine business community, support LGBTQIA+ businesses and community members, and improving her E Pike block as a frequent attendee at public safety forums and neighborhood tours with officials. Her portrait was one of a dozen painted on utility boxes around the city to mark 50 years of Pride in Seattle.

Brothers was humble about the Wildrose’s success — and survival.

“It makes me very thankful to our community, to our patrons, and to our city,” Brothers told CHS in 2014. “If the entire city wasn’t behind us, we couldn’t do it.”

A Celebration of Life will be held at the Wildrose at 1021 E Pike on February 16th from 2 to 9 PM. Learn more at thewildrosebar.com.

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