Written by:
Laura K. Cucullu
Photographer:
Alyssa Polizzi
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this Issue of Curve:
Vol. 15#7
Being lesbian-owned isn’t a guarantee that a company is a great place to work, but we admit we’re partial to queer higher-ups. Here are three up-and-coming dyke-owned ventures that are making a splash.
QUEER STUFF ENTERPRISES
Who they are: A family-run business that uses the universal language of music, Queer Stuff Enterprises seeks equality while fostering community. When Sallyanne Monti and her wife, Mickey Neill, watched the images of San Francisco marriages flood TV in 2004, they realized how important it was to share real stories of the queer community with the rest of the world. “I knew that if the world could open their eyes and look at our families, there would be no way they could attack those images,” Monti says. Born of that desire, QSE hosts talent showcases in the Bay area for singer-songwriters and helps out with PR and consulting for new artists and businesses. August’s event featured Green and Root, fresh from the 30th Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival, and Blair Hansen, who rocked South By Southwest last year at only 17.
Why they rock: “Promoting all things normally queer and queerly normal” is a big job, and Monti, her wife and two of their four children put their time into QSE by not only helping out new acts, but also making sure they’re always giving something back. QSE specializes in scoping out undiscovered talent (even searching Craigslist); performers and audiences alike are always a mix of straight and gay. A portion of proceeds is donated to various charities, including the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Meals on Wheels and Habitat for Humanity.
Website: http://www.queerstuffenterprises.com
FUNKY LALA
Who they are: As Funky LaLa, Angela Lowe and business partner Michelle Alleyne are involved in almost every aspect of the fashion business, from manufacturing to marketing. Like QSE, Funky LaLa is dedicated to training others and making frequent donations to charities, including the Lower East Side Girls Club. They also keep the runways and fashion businesses funkified with a product line, fashion shows and crash-course workshops on all aspects of the industry, including PR and marketing for young business owners.
Why they rock: By 18, queer femme “Lala” Lowe had left her home in Minneapolis and headed for the bright lights of the Big Apple, working in publicity and marketing in the music industry. (“I definitely knew I wasn’t going to college,” she quips.) That work led to a spinoff job producing a mere two T-shirt designs, which blossomed into the fashion line that is FunkyLaLa today. “Everything’s fallen into place since then,” she says.
Website: http://www.funkylala.com
PAJAMA MAMAS
Who they are: Made-to-order mail-order Pajama Mamas lets you select your style and fabric for homespun loungewear. Want capris with pink poodles in Paris? They can do that. Sleepwear cut like Grandpa’s except with flames instead of plaid? Easy. And they also do custom embroidery and will help you find your perfect fabric (if they don’t already have it) for that added personal touch to your loungewear.
Why they rock: Before anyone really knew who Pajama Mamas were, they’d already been the saving grace for a frantic manufacturer struggling to fill an order for The Ellen DeGeneres Show — the Mamas sent out a call for help to family and friends to help process the large, last-minute order that landed in their laps, and help they did. Next thing they knew, their PJs were on Ellen, and the phone was ringing off the hook. Then the Modesto Bee outed them, reporting that the mamas of Pajama Mamas, Alexanne and Sabrina Stone, were a couple in love. They braced themselves for the end of their business. They did lose a few customers to the hubbub, but luckily for us, they gained others eager to support a lesbian-owned business. One customer even drove over an hour to meet them after hearing their story.
Website: http://www.pajamamamas.com
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