LGBTQ+ Owned Home Decor and Garden Businesses to Support

If you are passionate about supporting small businesses and minorities, take this opportunity to add to your rolodex of gorgeous home decor and gardening operations. It is especially important to balance the scales on a continuous basis and tilt the world of commerce towards a place that’s a bit more representative. So, it doesn’t have to be June (LGBTQ pride month), to celebrate the major advancements won by LGBTQ+ activists more than half a century ago and ongoing. Let’s show some solidarity to those thriving in all sectors and specifically, to the LGBT-owned businesses creating unique pieces that can be perfect additions to your homes and gardens.

For all the huge accomplishments since Stonewall, we must also recognize that there is still much work to be done to advance the cause in the years to come. As with all great journeys, the movement for LGBTQ began with a single step. These small steps can vary in form and you can take your own towards supporting the cause by supporting these excellent businesses. These LGBTQ+ establishments in design and home gardening exemplify the color, vibrancy, and agency of a truly proud and talented community. 

Opening a business and making it turn a profit is no small task, especially when you’re starting from a grassroots effort without the capital of a giant corporation. The owners of these businesses work hard, are passionate about what they do, and offer top-notch services and products, so consider checking them out! 

Nicole Zizi Studio 

In addition to being an avant-garde designer seeking to embody authenticity and sustainability with high-quality garments, Nicole Zizi is also a prominent voice for social justice and protecting the environment. She has used the power of her brand to promote pressing issues in black and brown communities as well as raise awareness of their intersections with the LGBTQ+ movement. In addition to hand-made streetwear and accessories, Nicole Zizi’s product line also includes scented candles and trendy accessories.

Queer Candle Co. 

“Queer” is back in style, and scented candles only seem to become more popular with time, so brace yourself for the ultimate duo. Queer Candle Co. is your local counterculture alternative to national chains like Yankee Candle. This aromatic company is based in Brooklyn and ships nationwide. Queer Candle Co. has already made a name for itself thanks to its beautifully crafted, non-toxic candles, which usually feature a tasteful representation of the herbs used for the scent. 

Queer Candle makes a point of having inclusivity as one of its central ideas, so it’s no surprise that they focus on LGBTQ+ issues. Crucially, Queer Candle puts their money where their mouth is, and 10% of all their profit goes to the Sylvia Rivera Law Project, which advocated for intersectional issues concerning gender, sexuality, and race. 

Front Yard Gardens 

Minority-owned businesses aren’t just found either on the East or West Coasts. Our next highlighted business is in the heart of Texas, where Austin-based Front Yard Gardens has discovered newfound success. Its founders started their business by growing plants in their own front yard (hence the name) during quarantine. Since then, the business has only continued to grow.   

It has become the one-stop-shop for Texans hoping to snag Chinese money plants, Texas perennials, snake plants, and other greenery that help to purify the air. And with hot, stuffy Texas summers, everyone can do with a little extra fresh air. 

Boxwoods Gardens & Gifts

Atlantans fear not, for there is a wealth of wonderful LGBT-owned businesses in your area as well! A case in point is Boxwoods Gardens & Gifts, a highly in-demand store that is chock full of beautiful home accessories and beautiful plant arrangements. The shop also features amazing artisanal ceramic pieces made by Eva Gordon. Gordon is an artist who has mastered the craft of ceramics, and her pieces are unique, beautiful, and colorful. If you’re in the market for some eye-candy pieces of home decor that stand out from the crowd, you’ll want to give this business a look. Boxwoods can also help with your landscaping needs.

Home Decor and Photo by Boxwoods Gardens and Gifts

Rock Steady Farm

Let’s take a little detour from the traditional gardening and landscaping and enlarge our scopes of horticulture. Farms are the backbone of modern civilization. It is very easy to take it for granted when living in an urban area. So, if you’ve been looking to up your horticulture game and didn’t know who to talk to, the Rock Steady Farm would be a great place to look. This small but enthusiastic community of farmers and agriculture enthusiasts brings together individuals of various sexualities, genders, ethnicities, and races. Working together, Rock Steady Farm not only wishes to teach individuals about the intricacies of horticulture and cultivating crops but also looks to spread the message of acceptance through hard work. So, if you’ve been looking to learn a little something about horticulture and how to grow crops in your own fields, this Pennsylvania-based farming community is who you want to talk to. They offer very informative classes and are quite friendly and approachable.

Minna

Why simply work alone, when you can have a group of artists working together to create gorgeous designs? This is what makes Minna so special and is a phenomenon commonly found in tightly knit and supportive LGBTQ+ communities. Minna is the culmination of a diverse group of thinkers and creators coming together and concocting interior decor and furniture designs that will leave your guests speechless. Many of their products are hand-made by artisans from South America, which is why they have that genuine, human touch to them you cannot find in any factory-manufactured counterpart. The rising talent of Minna is definitely worth supporting, if not for their craftsmanship, then for the message of acceptance that they have spread and continue to spread through their work. 

Erdos + Ko

Getting down to business when it comes to LGBTW-owned furniture shops, we arrive at Erdos + Ko. The two founders, co-owners, and co-designers, John Erdos and Louis Koay are a power couple of furniture design. Renowned for their sleek, modern designs, you will find Erdos+Ko furniture all over the country. What makes Erdos+Ko even more impressive is the wide range of furniture and decor that you can find in their catalog. From bedroom and living room requisites to lighting decor, outdoor accents, and home office furniture, it’s easy to get lost in their work as you’ll find yourself wanting to buy everything they have.

The Colton Sofa and Photo from Erdos + Ko Home

Bobby Berk 

You may know Bobby Berk from the hit Netflix show The Fab Five, in which he is one of the fabulous hosts. Each of them has a specialty, be it fashion, hair, or culture and lifestyle. With their powers combined, the Fab Five give the participants of their show a makeover to help them find a side of themselves that they were not aware of. Bobby Berk is the interior designer of the group and he’s been chosen for a reason: the guy’s got talent and a vision. If you’ve ever watched the show and got jealous of the participants’ interior remodel, then Bobby Berk Home is what you need in your life. You can even shop from his vast selection of quality home goods and binge-watch The Fab Five at the same time for more interior design and remodel inspiration.