Little Frida’s
Address
8545 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA 90069
Active Dates
1991 - 1995
Little Frida's Coffee House Flier, Circa 1991, June L. Mazer Lesbian Archives.
Oral History Clips
About this location
Little Frida’s Coffee House opened around 1991 at 8545 Santa Monica Boulevard, moved to 8730 Santa Monica Boulevard by September 1995, and closed around May 1999. It was founded by lesbian club promoter Caroline Clone, who sold the coffeehouse to Rita Boyadjian in 1993. By 1997 it was owned by Kathleen Mahoney, who let Marie Cartier perform her one-woman show Ballistic Femme there on Sundays and closed the coffeehouse for three days so Paula Goldberg could film her short Traveling Companion (1998). Little Frida’s operated as both a coffee house and a lesbian community center with art exhibitions, music nights, comedy shows, and other events. The space fostered the careers of comedians like Lea DeLaria and Tig Notaro and musicians like Melissa Ferrick. The space was featured on the now famous coming-out episode of Ellen and the film Bar Girls.
Categories
Sources
- Cartier, Marie. Interview by Angela Brinskele. August 17, 2026. June L Mazer Lesbian Archives. https://jmtanenbaum.github.io/route66/marie-cartier-oral-history.html.
- Craig, Vanessa. Interview by Angela Brinskele. July 23, 2026. June L Mazer Lesbian Archives. https://jmtanenbaum.github.io/route66/vanessa-craig-oral-history.html.
- Dr. Alex D. Ketchum, The Directory, https://docs.google.com/document/d/1X07SFiXtIfcGaf_K-xFWGviDO5vUzXMghE8drGFP0zU/edit?usp=sharing.
- Goldberg, Paula. Interview by Kymn Goldstein. August 11, 2026. June L Mazer Lesbian Archives. https://jmtanenbaum.github.io/route66/paula-goldberg-oral-history.html.
- “Lost Womyn’s Space: Little Frida’s Coffee House.” Lost Womyn’s Space, December 4, 2011. https://lostwomynsspace.blogspot.com/2011/12/little-fridas-coffee-house.html.
- Mare Booksellers. “Female fyi. Issue 002. 15 September 1993.” Accessed October 23, 2026. https://www.marebooksellers.com/pages/books/020642/rita-boyadjian-and-publisher/female-fyi-issue-002-15-september-1993.
- Mitchell, Schuyler. “How Did L.A. Become a City Without Lesbian Bars?” LAmag, July 1, 2020. https://lamag.com/lgbtq/lesbian-bars-los-angeles/.
- Yarbro, Stan. “The Great Lesbian Club Wars.” Miami New Times, October 5, 1993. https://www.miaminewtimes.com/uncategorized/the-great-lesbian-club-wars-6362245/.