Picture of a young woman waving lgbti flag under the sky: iStock
By Nelson Nwaukwa
Press Kitchen has always openly supported and embraced the LGBTQ+ community. We recognize the importance of inclusivity and diversity and are committed to building meaningful relationships with the community and strive to amplify their voices.
Continuing our 2023 list, this Pride Month, Press Kitchen would like to shine a light on some LA-based LGBTQ+-owned brands and organizations you should all check out and support all year round!
Credit (James Michael Juarez/For The Times)
SUAY Sew Shop is an LA-based, 100% vertical sewing and production shop that is unwaveringly committed to creating a community dedicated to sustainable fashion. Founded in 2017, SUAY has diverted over 3.5 million pounds of textile waste from landfills, and actively supports garment workers’ rights and policy reform for fair wages, highlighting the numerous systemic injustices within the fashion industry.
Credit The Queer Mercado
The Queer Mercado is an outdoor marketplace based in East LA dedicated to serving and advocating for the LGBTQ+ community. Held every 3rd Saturday of the month at the East LA Civic Center, The Mercado hosts hundreds of vendors and features a wide variety of entertainment such as DJs, drag shows, poetry and comedy, dance lessons, and youth music performances.
Credit Folklore Salon & Barber website
Folklore Salon & Barber is an LGTQ-owned hair salon for the “dames, gents, + folks in between. With locations in Cypress Park and Long Beach, Folklore is an intentional space that celebrates the LA LGTBQ community experience by investing in its history and future. Folklore’s commitment to community goes beyond hair-care services by actively showcasing and partnering with local Queer artists, businesses, and social justice organizations.
Credit Milk+T
Milk + T is a queer-owned self-service boba truck in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles. Starting as a boba food truck in 2015 Milk+T has grown to so much more, offering classic boba drinks alongside their “Sip n Dip” drinks made with ice cream!
Credit POT Facebook
Pot Ceramics Studio was initially created to serve people of color, the queer community, and the youth in Los Angeles. POT’s mission is to cultivate pleasure, community, and new career paths in pottery for BIPOC communities while breaking opportunity cycles in our industry. With locations in Echo Park and Mid City POT offers pottery classes as well as private parties.
Credit Black Forest Bakery
Black Forest Bakery is a food truck serving up the freshest sourdough bread and pastries in the city. The owner and baker Djo Maurer is a queer and trans baker originally from the Black Forest in Southern Germany, and started their business in 2015. After noticing that American mass production did not allow for a genuine connection with food, Djo hones in on the chemistry and precision behind the craft of sourdough bread. With a passion for quality and healthy eating, they pride themself on going back to basics: flour, water, and salt, and they only use the purest organic ingredients to handcraft artisanal sourdough bread so that breaking bread with loved ones becomes more enjoyable and meaningful.
In celebrating these LGBTQIA+-owned brands and organizations, we would like to highlight their creativity and commitment to making meaningful contributions to their communities. By supporting these organizations beyond Pride Month, we continue to support inclusivity, diversity, and empowerment. Happy Pride!