Popular biker bar run by a woman. Why she’s the ‘toughest girl’ for Myrtle Beach bike rally

It’s the week before the Myrtle Beach Fall Bike Rally and Leslye Beaver is, well, busy.

Beaver, her blonde hair pulled to the side in a braid, is dressed in a pink top, blue jeans and flip flops. She often wears the color pink and admits that people are surprised to find out that she owns The Beaver Bar, one of Murrells Inlet’s most popular biker bars.

But don’t let the pink fool you. Beaver is part of the motorcycle community, often taking rides to the mountains. She’s the owner of a 2002 and 2023 Harley-Davidson – both Low Riders.

She’s also the only cooler on the property. In the bar business, a “cooler” is the head bouncer and is responsible for maintaining security by using skills to de-escalate situations without violence.

The staff knows to come and get her if any problems arise. And in the 25 years Beaver has been in business, she’s been able to handle situations with talk, a finger point and “the look” on her face.

“It sounds really cool to be the toughest girl,” Beaver said, but she knows if things go bad, just a short distance away are police officers who monitor traffic along Highway 17 during the busy spring and fall bike rallies.

Thousands of bikers are expected to make their way this week to Murrells Inlet, where most of the events and activities occur. The fall rally runs through Oct. 6.

The Beaver Bar is just one of the spots bikers frequent. Another is the popular Suck Bang Blow, which is a short distance away.

And while there are several biker bars owned by women around the country, female owners like Beaver are still a minority. It’s long been the norm that most motorcycle riders are men, although the number of female riders has shifted over the years.

Beaver describes her bar as “normal.” It does have bikers, booze and rally girls, but it also has high chairs and families.

“We’re not Suck Bang Blow, we’re not the MarshWalk,” Beaver said. “We have cute stories and fun stories. It’s not hard, biker stories.

“Yeah, (the bikers) are going to be loud and obnoxious, but I’m only asking for 25 days” – the amount of time for bike rallies each year.

A woman with a vision

The 67-year-old started in 1997 with the Little Beaver Bar, selling water, beer and hot dogs during bike week. Later, she acquired her current location at 3534 Highway 17 Business, just a short distance from her original spot, opening in 2009. The original bar was later torn down.

There doesn’t appear to be any real statistics on the number of women-owned biker bars.

Some of the largest bars in the country are owned by women, including the Iron Horse Saloon in Ormond Beach, Florida, and Boot Hill Saloon in Daytona Beach, Florida, according to Beaver.

The bar in Murrells Inlet is not the only one Beaver owns. She also owns a Beaver Bar in Daytona Beach and previously owned one in Sturgis, North Dakota, which she closed last year.

Over the years, more women have taken up riding and have become an important part of the motorcycle community. A 2018 survey from the Motorcycle Industry Council found that 19% of motorcycle riders are women, a nearly 10% increase from a decade ago.

Beaver has used these facts about men and women riders to help her business, particularly when it comes to women. She focuses on making sure the bathrooms are clean, having air conditioning and numerous rocking chairs that are on the porch and outside the bar.

She believes that if “you get the women, you get the men,” Beaver said.

Beaver knows that women in the biker bar business struggle with being owners because they are outmanned.

“Do I think women in business get shot down a little bit? I do,” Beaver said.

But those who work with Beaver say that she has her own way of doing things and it’s working.

“She’s got more of a vision,” of how the bar should be operated, said Kaylie Reid, who has been working at the bar for 14 years. “She sees it in her head.”

And Beaver’s business know-how has extended to her four children. Her daughter, Allyson Antol, has been helping her run the bar during bike rallies since the 44-year-old has been 18 years old.

One son is part of a billion-dollar company and another son operates several Myrtle Beach area restaurants, including Judy Boone’s in Murrells Inlet.

‘I’m not a rock star’

Beaver has lived in the Murrells Inlet area for 35 years, after coming from Georgia. She has lived on the same three mile stretch the entire time, she said.

It is because of her love for the community that she decided to give back whenever she can.

The Beaver Bar is known for its $7 all-you-can-eat breakfast that is served on Sundays. The money from those breakfasts goes back into the community to help others.

Beaver shares stories of how the money has been spent over the years. She sticks to her grandmother’s philosophy of “You give it and forget it. You don’t keep score.”

She has a heart for the working “mom and pop” businesses. Most of the vendors that Beaver allows to set up in her parking lot for bike rallies are just that. “Those are my people,” Beaver said.

The Beaver Bar is an event bar, she said. Beaver changed her bar hours several years ago and is now only open Thursday through Saturday and Sunday morning for breakfast. During bike rallies, the bar is open every day.

When asked how many bikers she sees during the spring and fall rallies, Beaver shakes her head as she thinks. “I really don’t know how many,” she said.

She expects that there won’t be as many bikers for the 2024 fall rally as last year. A big part of that is because of the economy, Beaver said.

The local bike community is a big supporter of the bar. Outside of the rallies, they are the ones who keep Beaver in business, she said. For that, she’s thankful.

“I’m not a rock star,” Beaver said. “Have I just been fortunate? Yes.”