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Downtown Houston’s cocktail bar Angel Share has always had an intriguing premise. Here, you can drink for a cause. Every beer, glass of wine, cocktail, and dish ordered comes with a ticket that patrons can use to vote for one of four featured local charities. In the end, the tickets are weighed, giving each deserving nonprofit a percentage of the monthly donation pot.

The inspiration behind it all? Dolly Parton.

Owner Mary Ellen Angel, originally from Magnolia, Texas, says she modeled the bar’s mission after the iconic country singer-songwriter and philanthropist, whom she calls Angel Share’s “patron saint.” 

“All women from the South, we grew up loving Dolly Parton,” Angel says. “She made such an impact on my life. She was just so deeply generous, unpretentious, and kind in approaching everyone with love and acceptance, with the goal of lifting everyone around her. She was an early example of being a woman who was unapologetically herself, practicing quiet inclusivity and supporting and helping the people who can’t help themselves.”

The dedication is further solidified by the bar’s makeshift shrine—a painting of the Queen of Country and a nearby chalkboard message reminding everyone of Angel Share’s devotion. “Everybody knows Dolly Parton, but not everyone knows how hard she works for the betterment of the world around her,” it reads. “She is an advocate for child education and a donor to modern vaccine research. We see you, and we love you, Dolly.”

That message hits even harder this week after social media exploded with tributes for Parton, who died on Tuesday, August 25, at age 80 following a battle with cancer.

“I cried like a crazy person,” says Angel. “We’re kindred spirits, me and Dolly. …She resonates with everyone.”

Parton was the prolific songwriter behind more than 100 million records sold and 3,000 songs, including the Grammy Hall of Fame’s “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You” — but this week, it’s her legacy as a humanitarian that’s resonating most.

Since 1995, Parton’s Imagination Library has mailed a free book every month to enrolled children from birth through age five, a program she started as a tribute to her father, a man who never learned to read but whom she always called the smartest person she knew. It now reaches five countries and has put more than 300 million books into small hands—a scale that makes it one of the largest childhood literacy efforts on the planet. Her giving reached beyond books. Early in the pandemic, she donated $1 million to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center after learning researchers were close to a breakthrough. That money helped fund the early testing behind Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine.

Despite the critics, who often attacked Parton’s looks, she remained largely unbothered. “She knew who she was and knew she had a good, kind heart,” Angel says. “That’s inspiration—to see someone who treats someone with warmth and remains deeply humbled.” It solidified a message for Angel: “It doesn’t matter who you are and where you came from. Even if it’s not on a grand scale, you can make a difference.”

In 2021, Angel got her shot. After serving as general manager at the now-shuttered Downtown bar OKRA Charity Saloon, where she helped run its fundraising program for two years, the previous owners sold her the bar and everything in it for $10. They advised her not to continue it as a charity bar, worried that she wouldn’t make any profit. “I was poor,” she recalls. “I didn’t have all this money.” Still, she resolved that continuing the charity aspect was the right thing to do. She was going to make it work—just like Dolly.

“Dolly Parton came from the ground up,” she remembers thinking. “If she can do it, I can do it. I have the same generosity and love in my heart. I’m scared, but I’m still gonna try to do it.”

Angel took over the bar, renamed it, and put her own spin on it—commissioning a painting of Dolly Parton from Kati Ozanic-Lemberger, a local artist whose works have been prominently featured at Houston’s beloved Art Car Parade. Hoisted in the back half of Angel Share under the sunroof, the eye-catching painting often catches a warm, natural glow.

Today, the bar, which is nestled in an 1880s building, is a standout mix of old and new, with original brick, glamorous plush velvet seats, a photobooth to document memories, a pool table for the competitive, and neon-glowing reminders like “change the world.” 

It all worked out. 

But like Dolly, who did tons of charity work and rarely talked about it, Angel says she, too, prefers to work quietly, meaning many people aren’t aware of her bar or its backstory. “When [people are] doing the work that’s in their heart, you don’t have time to market yourself,” she says. Instead, she brings the focus and visibility to the nonprofits she aims to raise money for. Each month, four charities are featured, with their missions explained on a plaque above a box where bargoers can cast their vote. Not only does it give these do-gooders a chance to receive more money, but it also educates visitors on who they are and what they do. 

Since its earliest inception, the bar has raised around $1.4 million, all of which has gone to locally based nonprofits. “It’s a little bit at a time, but it adds up,” Angel says. “It makes a difference to these nonprofits who are boots on the ground.”

Now, following the outpouring of messages she’s received in the wake of Parton’s death, Angel is planning a tribute to the woman who inspired it all. “I feel like I’m grieving, too, and it’s kind of hard for me. I knew this day would come,” Angel says. “It’s sad, but I also want everybody to be happy.”

Angel Share will host a Saturday celebration featuring a playlist of her music, themed cupcakes, and butterfly decor, all the while encouraging attendees to don their fanciest rhinestones and wigs. The featured cocktail will include an impressive printed photo of a smiling Dolly herself; a portion of the profits from every drink will go to the Dollywood Foundation, which benefits Parton’s Imagination Library, scholarships, and other forms of education for youth.

Like Dolly, Angel says she didn’t come from much, and she doesn’t have children. Instead, her legacy is lifting the people around her—a philosophy she believes everyone can emulate to make the world a better place. “I just feel like the universe is always looking out for us, even when it feels like we’re losing,” Angel says. Dolly Parton has been a reminder of that, especially at Angel Share. “Her energy and vibe still live in this space, and our hearts—everybody’s heart.”

Know Before You Go

Sport your best wig, rhinestones, and butterflies for Angel Share’s tribute to Dolly Parton on Saturday, August 29, at 4pm. Entrance is free. Food and drinks will be available for purchase. 924 Congress St, Downtown.