Do the right thing! Buy gifts from our queer and lesbian sisters. Here are EPOCHALIPS TOP TEN PICKS (OK 11!) of lesbian and queer owned businesses where you can find that special gift online for your pals and lovers!
OLIVIA TRAVEL
If you are looking for the ultimate escape with your partner or best friend, look no further than Olivia Travel, THE travel company for lesbians. Olivia takes women on all different types of vacations around the world from cruises and luxury cruises, to resorts, riverboats, and even adventures.
Hurry to grab a spot before next May’s Caribbean resort vacation is sold out! Celebrate tales of love, heartbreak, sex, setbacks, and success with The L Word ®: Generation Q cast members. Enjoy sun, fun, turquoise water, sultry tropical nights with 1,200 LGBTQ+ women! Whether you’re traveling solo, with your partner, or with a group of friends, you’ll gain memories and new friends that will last a lifetime!
EPOCHALIPS BOOKS
Check out the new, improved award-winning edition of GAME CHANGERS- LESBIANS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT! Order a copy or two for a holiday gift or for your own coffee table. The best part? Proceeds from your purchase help fund an online video interview series for high school students to learn more about game changing lesbians! This gorgeous, colorful, 144 page large-format book features extraordinary lesbians including Kate Kendell, Marga Gomez, Page Hodel, Jewelle Gomez, Franco Stevens, Mariah Hanson and many more! Order by Dec 15th for delivery by Christmas.
HEATHER WEISS
Heather Weiss is an artist, producer, and community builder. As a storyteller, She’s worked as lead producer on music videos, promotional content for non-profits, and an award winning documentary. A homegrown graphic artist from Galveston, Texas, Heather began teaching herself photoshop about a decade ago and continues to evolve her understanding and love of design and branding through making dope art with stellar + creative humans. Exceptionally passionate about community and interpersonal connection” and with a burning desire to give humans a permission slip to set down their devices and dive into meaningful conversation” Heather designed and co-created Dive In Deck | Cards to Ignite + Inspire Deeper Dialogue.
PEAU DE LOUP
Founded by Vancouverites Adelle Renaud and Erin McLeod, Peau De Loup originally set out to redefine feminine etiquette in womenswear by creating functional, well made, timeless apparel. In the years since the company started its mission, they have expanded to create androgynous-style clothing designed for all bodies with curves regardless of gender identity. Growing up as tomboys the two were always very aware that the retail clothing experience wasn’t built for them. ORDER by Dec 11th for delivery by Christmas.
SHOW AND TELL
Oakland-based Show & Tell Concept Shop, is a platform for unique, vibrant inclusive style that promotes Bold Beauty and Intentional Living. Their carefully curated assortment features the handmade Show & Tell Collection alongside an evolving selection of ethical and sustainable goods from like-minded brands. Show and Tell believes in socially responsible practices, authentic self-expression, and radical acceptance and celebration of people of color, LGBTQIA+ folks, Women, and other marginalized communities.
DOMESTIC DOMESTIC
Queer owned and located in Little Rock, Arkansas, Domestic Domestic is a collaboration of sorts. They are the matchmakers connecting conscientious consumers with ethical companies. The product selection is rigorous. They bring to you fine products with attention to quality, function and design. Nothing is added without reason. The objects are curated to tell a story and have a history. They’re potential heirlooms, unique in type, simply determined to be the best damn stuff on the market. It all works in harmony. Well made objects made by people who live their dreams and whose passion for their craft is undeniable in everything they do. We love the Feejays: “If your sweatpants and your pajamas ran away together and had a love child.”
MINNA
Minna is a tight-knit team of seven artists, creators, and thinkers based in Hudson, NY. They are a queer woman owned and believe in creating beautiful, ethically made products and using business to do good. MINNA was founded by Sara Berks in 2013 in Brooklyn, NY and moved to Hudson, NY in 2016, where the storefront and studio are now located. Working collaboratively with master artisans in Central and South America ensures craft preservation and job creation in these regions. The patterns, colors, and textures are meant to be mixed, matched, and layered for today’s modern home. Designs are informed and inspired by Feminist art, the Bauhaus, traditional craft, and vintage textiles.
WILD RAINBOW AFRICAN SAFARIS
Take a journey of a lifetime to Africa with Jody Cole of Wild Rainbow African Safaris! Many people dream of visiting Africa during their lifetime, but few truly experience the magnificent wonders of this continent. Jody Cole is the owner of Wild Rainbow African Safaris, and her sole purpose is to share her love of Africa with you through her safaris. Check out the Kenya Photo Safari, August 13-22, 2020. Kenya has long been Africa’s most storied safari destination. Known for its legendary wildlife and evocative landscapes, Kenya offers photographers countless opportunities to capture iconic images of Africa: Graceful giraffes browsing in acacia trees, elephants traversing the savanna, stealthy lions stalking gazelle, proud Maasai bedecked in ceremonial beadwork.
WET FOR HER
Wet For Her was originally created by lesbians for lesbians, but their mission and their toys don’t discriminate! Whether you identify as lesbian, bisexual, or queer; cis, trans, or nonbinary; they’ve got you covered! This year’s pick is The Hot Tongue, a small but mighty cute and compact vibe made with super soft body safe silicone. Shaped like a tongue, the tip serves as the pleasure point where the intensity of the vibrations are felt best. The rechargeable bullet has 5 speed settings and 5 unique vibrational patterns.
ISABELLA ROTMAN
Isabella Rotman is a cartoonist and illustrator from Maine living and drawing in Chicago. Her art is usually about the ocean, mermaids, crushing loneliness, people in the woods, or sex. She is the author of the sexual health comic You’re so Sexy When You Aren’t Transmitting STIs and Artist in Residence at Scarleteen.com. Isabella’s educational graphic novel with Heather Corinna,Wait, What? A Comic Book Guide to Relationships, Bodies, and Growing Up, was published by Oni Press in 2019. Isabella was nominated for the Promising New Talent Ignatz award in 2017. Isabella is the creator of This Might Hurt Tarot, a modern and queer 78-card tarot deck based on the historic Rider-Waite-Smith deck.
IMMIGREAT DESIGNS
Fantastic custom bowties for every occasion. There are great reasons to buy from Immigreat Designs. Adriana Santos, the designer of Immigreat Designs says: “I make bow ties. My father gifted me an old sewing machine a few years ago and I started experimenting and soon developed a passion for sewing bow ties. My bow ties have helped pay my lawyer fees as I applied for a U-Visa in 2013, after being robbed at gunpoint in Oakland. That experience shifted a lot for me emotionally, it built up my courage and drove me to apply for college.” Custom orders are available! Email Adriana at immigreatdesigns@gmail.com.
