photo/Jessie Banhazl
Name: Rosie Borden
Age: 29
Home state: Connecticut
Bar of choice: The Bearded Lady’s Jewel Box
Professions: Barista, Pop Star
Regular Since: 2016
Drink of choice: Morphos Pet Nat
At The Bearded Lady’s Jewel Box, a kaleidoscope of lights, billowing curtains, the herbal scents of craft cocktails and a kitschy, rococo mural behind the bar combine to create an ethereal atmosphere unique in Portland’s bar scene. The room is also adorned with kooky yet gorgeous antiques curated by owner Nan’l Meiklejohn (a 2025 James Beard Award nominee for Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service).
“My goal right off the bat was to open a bar that was feminine,” Nan’l said. “No TVs, no sports, lots of flowers, pretty things, and obviously focusing on cocktails.”
The Jewel Box “has also become a queer-friendly, safer space for marginalized people of all identities,” Nan’l continued. “I’m not trying to win any recognition or anything. I’m just trying to make Portland better in any way that I can, because I’ve lived here for twenty-five years, I’ve seen what’s missing for myself and for other people, too.”
For a Jewel Box regular, we’ve chosen Rosie Borden. “Rosie is one of those regulars who, just by walking in the door, they make the night better,” Nan’l told us enthusiastically. “That’s just her energy, wherever she goes. Whenever she does karaoke, before she even sings, everyone goes wild because she’s so beloved. She’s such a powerhouse of talent and good energy.”
What keeps you coming to The Jewel Box?
The ambiance is impeccable. The lights flickering and the silky curtains are magical. There’s always good music playing, and there are so many cool people who come here and who work here, so everything is awesome. I’m trans, and there are really not very many bars around here that I always feel comfortable going to, and this is definitely one of them. Knowing that a lot of the staff is queer, and they just don’t have any tolerance for bullshit. They’ll kick people out if they’re being awful or shitty, or even like, verging on becoming awful.
Nan’l, the owner, is a total sweetheart and always makes everybody feel welcome. It’s a safe space for me as a queer person. Also, the bartenders are all so hot, so cool, and so talented. The drinks are always exciting. The menu is always rotating with different elixirs. And if I’m getting a cocktail here, it’s not because I want to have a cocktail. It’s because I want some cool person behind the bar to make me a potion.
We hear you’re a big fan of Jewel Box’s Wednesday karaoke night. Why do you like it?
I like that everyone kind of brings their own vibe to it. You have a lot of theater kids who are now theater adults, really, and still living the dream. You have your sad boys and girls and theys and more, and everyone’s really supportive no matter what is brought to the table, which is always fun.
You make your own music?
Right now, I’m kind of just a pop star. I’m also a punk bitch, and I have a tender heart, so all of that combined is a lot of fun. The kind of music I make depends on my mood. I just play with my laptop, and I make the sounds in my bedroom, and then I bring them out into the world, and I sing live with vocal effects and dance around and act crazy. I’m playing at the Apohadian on April 19th.
What is your experience like being queer in Portland?
It’s complicated. A lot of the time I feel really supported by my community. Most of the time I feel safe, but since last summer it’s been a little bit scary sometimes. The rhetoric around trans people and the moral panic that had ensued is kind of just an always-looming presence.
For example, a few days ago I was sitting in my bedroom, and then all of a sudden there’s three men outside my apartment talking about how awesome Donald Trump is for sticking it to Janet Mills like that. Then they pointed out that a tranny lives there, outside the house that I live in. It’s scary. Even though Portland is a really welcoming, accepting place, it’s a really scary time. It’s so fucked up, and there’s so much mindless mob mentality and violent hate speech being thrown around by the president and by many other millions of people. It feels like, especially in the last six months or so, things have just ramped up so exponentially.
How can we be allies to trans people in Portland?
We need more safe spaces like Jewel Box, and also more allies sticking up for us and using the privilege that comes with not being seen as queer, or some sort of freak, to let people know that it’s okay to be accepting. As a trans person, these aren’t really conversations that I like having. Anything that can minimize situations where queer people are put in positions where they are the sole people sticking up for themselves — not that we can’t handle it — but it’s not a fun way to have to go about the world.
