Times have been tough for a lot of households lately, and most of us are thinking carefully about where our money goes. If you’re going to spend, why not spend it in a way that keeps capital circulating in the queer community? Below is a snapshot of five LGBTQIA+ led businesses we love.
A note on timing: businesses change, founders move on, products evolve. This list is a snapshot as of mid-2023 (lightly refreshed for the new site in 2026). If something here has changed or moved on, tell us and we’ll update.
Feel Good Club
A wellbeing coffee house in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, no bookings needed. Alongside the café, the brand sells clothing and merchandise emblazoned with motivating messages. The club is led by Kiera and Amy, two wives on a mission to support people in becoming their happiest selves.
Couplet Coffee
A direct-to-consumer coffee startup led by Gene Skolnick, who famously raised angel investment for the business using only Twitter. Couplet serves up freshly roasted beans alongside limited-edition merchandise drops with collaborating artists, from clothing to coffee cups.
Spectrum Outfitters
A UK brand making eco-friendly binders that help people feel more like themselves. The binders are beautifully made and fit up to a 46.5” chest. Recyclable packaging arrives plain on the outside, in case privacy matters for your delivery.
Birdsong
A sustainable fashion company that started as a feminist slogan-T-shirt brand and developed into something deeper. Birdsong’s clothing is a protest against fast fashion and the systemic abuses of women in the production line. Founders Susanna Wen and Sophie Slater work with expert makers who face barriers to employment in the UK, paying them a London Living Wage to produce the designs.
The Read
A podcast hosted by Kid Fury and Crissle, covering hip-hop and pop culture’s most trying stars. Always rude, always hilarious. Every episode includes something terrible a celebrity has done and something delightful Blue Ivy is wearing.
Why support LGBTQIA+ led businesses?
A few reasons worth saying out loud:
- Founders face higher barriers. LGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs often raise less capital and face additional friction from investors, particularly trans and non-binary founders. Buying from queer-led businesses is one of the few direct ways consumers can shift that imbalance.
- Queer leadership shapes the product. Spectrum Outfitters’ choice of plain packaging for binders is the kind of detail that only comes from leadership who actually understand the customer. Most “ally” brands wouldn’t have thought of it.
- It compounds. Successful LGBTQIA+ led businesses become hiring opportunities, investment proof-points, and visible role models for the next generation of queer founders. One coffee subscription is small. The aggregate isn’t.
Spot something that’s changed?
If a business on this list has changed ownership, closed, or no longer reflects what we said about it, drop us a line. We’ll update.
Where to next
- Read more on culture for queer commentary, history, and writing on the broader life Kalda’s community is part of.
- For UK reference on which large employers genuinely support LGBT+ inclusion year-round, Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index is a useful baseline.
Originally published 1 May 2023; revised for the new Kalda site, May 2026.