When plans emerged for Rough and Tumble—a pub that prioritizes women’s sports—owner Jen Barnes announced she had a space in Old Ballard, but declined to say exactly where. That question mark collided with another big piece of Ballard news: The much-lamented closure of Sawyer in early October.

Not surprisingly, those two developments are connected: Rough and Tumble is busy rebuilding Sawyer’s former home at 5309 22nd Ave NW, transforming the tile-and-timbered restaurant space into a den of 15-plus TVs and an all-ages section where families can cheer on the Storm, the OL Reign, or even teams of the Y-chromosome variety, like, say, the Seahawks or the throwback-jerseyed Kraken.

If things proceed according to schedule (always a big "if") Rough and Tumble will open in early December. This space has come a long way from its origins as a sawmill in the 1920s—the inspiration for Sawyer's name.