9 LGBTQ+ Furniture and Home Goods Store Owners Share Their Most Popular Products

If you're looking to refresh your home with splashes of color and texture, these products from LGBTQ+-owned furniture and home goods stores could be what you've been looking for. Located from coast to coast — Los Angeles, Seattle, Houston, Oklahoma City, Provincetown, Hudson, and New York City — these stores offer great shopping stops to add to your next travel itinerary, or browse their inventory online for covetworthy wire chairs, club-themed decor, and colorful trivets, to name a few of the array of items that deliver both style and function to your home.

To learn more about these must-see shops, we reached out to the founders and owners for more information and to discover their most popular products among shoppers.

‌18 Jay St., New York, NY 10013‌

"Eighteen Jay Street is now the center point of all things TRNK as we mature from a small e-commerce shop into a multivalent design ecosystem — part studio, publisher, curator, and retailer," says Baltimore-raised Tariq Dixon, founder of the New York–based brand TRNK, where you can shop everything from modular seating and custom rugs to statement lighting fixtures. "A series of small vignettes, each with its own distinctive point of view, the new space will showcase our TRNK Collection designs alongside rotating exhibitions from global art and design talents. A mazelike display of small but thoughtful moments, we want you to meander, sit, and spend some time with us."

Check out TRNK's popular Segment Seating Series, which Dixon describes as "a combination of geometric shapes and mindful breaks [that] creates pieces that are as visually stunning as they are comfortable." An attention to craftsmanship and materials is key for the brand — which he launched in 2013 after years of working as a buyer in the retail industry — to create pieces that are lasting.

‌421 Warren St., Hudson, NY 12534‌

Founded in 2013 by Sara Berks and named after her maternal grandmother, MINNA carries products for humans and pet family members alike, such as patterned rugs, decorative baskets, chairs, tables, and even dog beds. The queer-led brand works with artisans in Central and South America who are masters in traditional craft techniques. "We take pride in crafting ethically made home goods that are not only beautiful but also reflect our values of inclusivity and sustainability," Berks tells Hunker. "We bring these values into the production process too, building long-term relationships with our artisan partners."

Made in Huancayo, Peru, by a family-led group of pedal loom weavers, MINNA's Everyday Towel Set Essentials is its best-selling product, made with GOTS-certified organic cotton and available in six colors. MINNA's smaller rugs are also produced by them.

‌Los Angeles showroom coming 2024 ... visit Design Hardware, 6053 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles, CA 90036‌

"Inspiration is everywhere, and it is always changing. Initially, I was drawn to the midcentury modern design aesthetic of Palm Springs that inspired me to start a furniture brand," recalls Gaurav Nanda, founder of L.A.–based Bend Goods, which he launched in 2010 and which is known for its innovative wire furniture. "But now I have evolved to more organic shapes, '70s [and] '80s style, ceramics, and architecture. Traveling also plays a big part [in] what inspires me today." The designer's recent travels to Japan, "where there is a strong culture of discipline and kindness to create social harmony," have influenced his design work.

The beauty of Nanda's work is undeniable in form and color — the Los Angeles County Museum of Art's inclusion of his Lucy Chair in its permanent collection is a testament to this — bringing geometric wonders inside and outside the home. The Lucy Counter Stool is one of its most popular items and so is one of the best-named products, the Hot Seat.

‌3 NW 9th St., Oklahoma City, OK 73102‌

There's so much to love about the trio of Oklahoma stores owned by Kelli and Jessi Newsome: Common Dear, Johnny and June, and OKcollective Candle Co. All located on NW 9th St., you could spend a day shopping their businesses alone. They first launched their handmade soy candle business OKcollective Candle Co. in 2017 and then "wanted to explore our more boundary-pushing, colorful side," the couple says about adding to their retail businesses. "We wanted to be able to support and showcase other small, independent brands."

The result was the Newsomes' retail shop and lifestyle brand, Common Dear, just across the street from OKcollective that you literally can't miss. Common Dear is a two-story, rainbow-painted house with "women-owned, LGBTQIA2S+-owned, AAPI-owned, Black-owned, and Latinx-owned brands that care about empowerment and making the world a better, more equal place for everyone." Last year, they went on to open yet another neighboring store, Johnny and June, filled with whimsical gifts and home goods, like floral snake charmer signs, pink flamingos, and rainbow backpacks.

It wasn't an easy task to choose one item from their three stores, but among their most unique items for the home is a self-watering disco ball planter — "We're known for our disco ball products!" — to add an all-day dance club touch to your living space.

‌Law Street (back of 396 Commercial Street), Provincetown, MA 02657 and three stores in New York City‌

Each piece tells a story at a John Derian Company store, where antique treasures live among his playful decoupage items (that are handmade in the artist's East Village studio) and other decorative pieces, such as patterned lampshades and tufted seating options. Derian's dinnerware collection with Astier de Villatte is especially fanciful, so much so that you'll want them all. There are three stores in N.Y.C., but those living or vacationing in Provincetown can visit the modest-size store with smaller curio items and home goods. (Check its IG for when it's open.)

If you're looking for a more contemporary and colorful item to spruce up your party spread, "our melamine has been super popular," Derian tells Hunker. "Entertaining with melamine takes so much stress away. I love the Mixed Tones Tray — it makes for a happy table setting." We concur!

‌2206 N. 45th St., Seattle, WA 98103‌

When Saltstone Ceramics first launched in 2015 by Colorado native Sarah Steininger Leroux, who credits the state's mountainous landscape as inspiration for her work, it was out of a converted garage. Fast forward to 2023 and the brand has both a studio and gallery in Seattle, offering classes and a selection of handmade ceramics and unique wood boards along with grinders and serving utensils from local and national artists and artisans. And Saltstone also has new owners; Leroux sold the business to three employees, Jude Mortensen, Liz Leong, and Sam Schauer.

"Saltstone Ceramics offers pottery classes and sells functional art, but the real heart of the studio is the community," Schauer notes, crediting Leroux for cultivating it and explaining that it is the reason the three purchased the business. "We strive to create a welcoming and uplifting environment regardless of your identities or experience because everyone deserves a safe space to practice their creativity." Leroux's Mountain Mugs are among the most popular products; "[they are] the perfect size for all your needs and provide the joy of getting to drink out of a piece of handmade art."

‌2751 W. Temple St., Los Angeles, CA 90026‌

Graf Lantz products are pleasing on the eyes, comforting to own, and utterly cool like their friendly founders. (Who knew that their felt pretzel keychain, a limited-edition piece, could bring this writer so much joy?) Launched by Holger Graf and Daniel Lantz in 2008, Graf Lantz's sustainable and L.A.-made line consists of home goods, accessories, and bags. It is known for its German Morino wool felt coasters and trivets, which you've likely seen at museums and boutiques across the country, adding a fun and vibrant pop of color to any surface.

"Our company is based on ethics. It comes down to treating others how you want to be treated," says Lantz, co-founder and co-CEO of Graf Lantz. "At the onset, our thought was, 'We have the ability to create quality. If we use quality materials to do that, at the very least, we can gain trust.' The products speak for themselves." Its latest collection of trivets, the Jaunt Collection, is quintessentially Graf Lantz, with their pleasing color blocking on display.

‌2031 West Alabama Street, Houston, Texas 77098‌

Luxury finds and ancient decor are the norm at the Houston antiques store Moxie, owned by interior designer Dennis Brackeen. Regency-style mirror, check. Qing dynasty screen, check. A pair of 19th-century Italian shield sconces, check. They're not the typical things you'd have on an everyday shopping list, but here's to dreaming. Still, you can have fun browsing Moxie's cases and rooms to instantly be transported to different centuries around the globe.

Recalling what led him to open the space, Brackeen says, "A fabulous property we were eyeing became available 12 years ago. Applying our business formula of antique dealers, a skilled interior design firm, and a lot of hard work has produced a formidable Houston gallery showroom."

With an ever-changing inventory, you never know what treasures could appear each day. But there is one furniture piece that goes fast. "I could literally buy a truckload of small occasional tables and just cannot keep them," notes the designer. "We also sell a lot of anything that's Maison Jansen or 1940s Baguès!"

‌317 Warren St., Hudson, NY 12534‌

Another Hudson, New York, store to visit is foley&cox HOME from interior design firm foley&cox, known for its luxe residential designs. "As we discovered antique and vintage treasures around the world and cultivated relationships with artists and artisans for our interior design clients, we realized we could share some of our favorites with retail customers," says Michael Cox, principal of foley&cox and founder of foley&cox HOME, speaking of what prompted the opening of the store in 2007 and whose team (pictured) includes retail store manager Ruu Silverman and Larry Bilotti, retail operations manager.

Its own custom collection includes indoor and outdoor seating and beds and side tables that wow at every angle, and you'll also find textiles, art, and lighting by various brands and artists to further enhance your living spaces. Currently, its most popular item is the Ecological Trophy ‌Burro Grande‌ by Spanish artisan Javier Sanchez. "These charming trophies are hand woven," adds Cox, "and bring a charming and playful spirit to bedrooms and family rooms alike."