Louisville is home to a thriving culture of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people. And intersex people. And nonbinary people. And the list goes on.
Supporting local businesses is always a slay, but when those businesses are owned by people of historically marginalized sexual orientations and gender identities, supporting them is giving angel baby. Here are 15 LGBTQ-owned business to support — during Pride season, and all year long.
Aspire Real Estate Group
2420 Lime Kiln Lane, Ste. EAfter almost 18 years in the real estate industry, co-owner Tommy Arnold allied with co-owners Jeremy English and Barbara LaMaster to form Aspire Real Estate Group. Arnold and English are a married couple, and their approach to brokerage is diverse and inclusive. Same-sex couples and queer families looking to purchase homes can feel at ease working with realtors who understand their needs and want to help them get closer to their domestic dreams. Aspire Real Estate GroupAurora Gallery and Boutique
1264 S. Shelby St.This gallery and boutique in Shelby Park is not only queer-owned, but also woman-owned. “All three of us identify as queer/bi/pan,” say owners Lyndi Lou, Alexandra Rumsey, and Mia Farrugia. All three women are visual artists (Lindy Lou is also a tattoo artist), and they opened Aurora together in 2022. Their passion is to cultivate a business that is diverse and inclusive, for the artists whose work they exhibit as well as for viewers in the gallery space and customers in the boutique space. Aurora Gallery and BoutiqueThe Jessica Tanselle
This queer Shamanic Healer and Medicine Woman says you can call her “Cha Cha” or “”ChaChaMama.” Her legal name is Jessica Tanselle and she works to lift the energetic veil between the seen and the unseen as a way to guide clients through emotional and spiritual healing. She offers events like cacao and sound on the riverfront, a community cacao ceremony, and a community breathwork ceremony. She also offers six-month one-on-one private coaching and 12-month sacred space holder group mentorship. Although her practice is available to any client with an open heart, the kind of healing she practices might be especially beneficial to members of the LGBTQ community who experience unique physical barriers to wellbeing. Jessica TanselleSet & Setting
1512 Portland Ave.Kaleigh Basso, who self-identifies as bisexual and autistic, opened her “teeny tiny bookstore” at PORTAL + ARTPORTAL in Portland. Set & Setting is truly a one-woman operation, from the curation of titles to the fulfillment of online orders, to the strategic yet approachable marketing. The bookstore is one of many reasons to visit the self-contained business corridor, for books by LGBTQ writers like Carmen Maria Machado or Ocean Vuong or bestselling authors like Ann Patchett or Rick Riordan. Set & Setting via InstagramSis Got Tea
976 Barret Ave.Situated in between Germantown and the Highlands, Sis Got Tea ia a Black-, queer-, woman-owned business who cultivate a BIPOC and LGBTQ safe space that is also a sober space. In addition to their array of loose-leaf teas and pastries, they offer Plan B, Narcan, fentanyl testing strips, condoms, pads, and tampons free of charge to anyone who needs them. Sis Got Tea via FacebookOld Louisville Coffee Co-op
316 W Ormsby Ave.The Old Louisville Coffee Co-op is not only an employee-owned business, but a queer- and POC-owned business. Corey Robison, Adrian Silbernagel, Noa August, America Medious, and Kristina Diggs — all of whom had experience in the coffee business — collectively opened shop after a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2022. In addition to their coffee (which is excellent), the co-op hosts poetry open mic nights for comedy nights, poetry, and rap, readings, drag and burlesque shows, skill-shares, and clothing swaps. One of the only late night spots near downtown in which alcohol is not the main attraction, the Old Louisville Coffee Co-op is open around the clock on weekends. L: Carolyn Brown R: The Old Louisville Coffee Co-op via FacebookBioglitz
1512 Portland Ave., Studio 3One of many not-so-hidden gems at PORTAL + ARTPOTAL in Portland, BioGlitz strives to take the “litter” out of “glitter.” Founder Saba Gray began developing BioGlitz in 2014, while still running the the product development department of the sustainability focused textile and design hub Manufacture NY. A lifelong figure skater, Gray had developed an aversion to glitter because it was used as a way to enforce femininity and girliness. Now, Gray’s brand of biodegradable glitter focuses on sustainability while subverting traditional beauty standards and blurring binary gender lines. BioGlitzVelvet Outlaw
1860 Mellwood Ave. Studio 268This queer-owned business is located in a studio at Mellwood Art Center. Founder, designer, and seamstress Miranda Deaton spent 10 years working in local shelters and government offices before pursuing their creative dream of designing upcycled Western-inspired fashion. Velvet Outlaw is body positive and size inclusive, and offers apparel as diverse as shirt, bolo ties, jock straps, and dog bandanas. Velvet OutlawButcher Block Barber Salon
1015 E. Main St.This queer-owned and operated classic barbershop in Butchertown is as focused on precision as it is on comfort. Although they are inclusive of all identities, their style leans masculine — or for lesbian, queer, or nonbinary clients, masculine of center. Butcher Block offer haircuts, beard Trims, and shaves using straight razors, hot lather, and steam towels. Butcher Block Barber SalonBoard and You
434 Pearl St., New Albany, INHusbands Zack Flanagan and Sean Lara launched their custom charcuterie business in 2019 and expanded their business with Board and You Bistro and Wine Bar in 2020. On a Facebook post celebrating the five-year anniversary of Board and You, the couple acknowledged their memaw as the person who gave them the gentle nudge to start their business, when she said they should post on Facebook a picture of a charcuterie board they had made for their family’s Easter celebration. Now, their made-to-order boards are as popular as their bistro menu by Executive Chef Kevin McGee and their artisanal cocktails. Board and You via FacebookBig Bar
1202 Bardstown Rd.Kevin Bryan opened Big Bar in the Highlands in May 2012, and it has since been voted “Best Bar in the Highlands” by LEO Weekly readers and among the Top 100 LGBT bars in the U.S. on Yelp! The safe, inclusive place offers an intimate patio draped with twinkle lights, strong cocktails, and a shimmering display of music videos from Lady Gaga to Megan Thee Stallion to Kim Petras. Big Bar via FacebookChill Bar
1117 Bardstown Rd.Open since Pride season 2013, Chill Bar in the Highlands was the first and only gay bar on Kentucky’s Urban Bourbon Trail in 2023. Featuring DJs, dancing, showtunes sing-alongs, trivia nights, one of the best patios in Louisville — and yes girl, drag — Chill Bar is as relaxed as its name promises. And there’s never a cover. Chill BarPlay Dance Bar
1101 E. Washington St.If a contestant on Ru Paul’s Drag Race or Dragula comes to Louisville, Play Dance Bar is where to find them. This multi-room performance space and dance club also hosts theater performances and dance parties, and has a large outdoor area to cool off (or heat things up, depending on your vibe). Play Dance Bar via FacebookViolet Moon Salon1813 Bardstown Rd.This multifaceted gemstone of a business opened in 2023. It is a holistic spiritual and aesthetic wellness center situated in the Highlands. Both an LGBTQ- and woman-owned business, Violet Moon offer salon services by Alexis Apanewicz and Kaelin Mayer, psychic services by founder Lou Allen, Reiki sessions by Lara Donnelly, and a plant shop. Violet Moon Salon via InstagramRegalo
234 Pearl St., New Albany, INRegalo has curated a shop full of affordable and locally-produced gift items for almost 20 years. They offer accessories and home décor that range from the sentimental to the practical, from the aesthetic to the sarcastic. And a lot of their inventory is LGBTQ-forward. Regalo via Facebook
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Aria Baci is a writer and critic who has been working in print and digital media since 2015 for outlets as varied as Design*Sponge, Geeks OUT, Flame Con, and The Mary Sue. She is passionate about literature,...
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