DENVER — This year is the 50th year celebrating Pride in Denver, but it’s the very first time, there will be a market specifically for local queer artists.
“I call them my chemical paintings because they are just abstract paintings that came out of the kiln,” artist Elise Goitia said, unpacking some of her multicolored ceramic mugs.
Goitia is a ceramic artist and the owner of Lita Clay Ceramics, a small business with just one employee — Goitia. She creates everything by hand and sells most of her work online, via Instagram, partly because in-person markets and festivals have a short season and a high-entry cost.
“You can't really get in unless you make a certain amount of money to be able to get in, or you set aside amount of money in order to be able to afford booths like that,” she said.
Enter Jess Rose, a small business owner and artist herself. She runs Jessie Rose & Co., making leather handbags and leather art pieces, and is co-owner of the Wolf Den Tattoo Shop in Denver. She is also the co-founder of ‘The Rainbow Market’ in Denver.
“The Rainbow Market is an all queer vendor market,” she said, explaining how it started three years ago in the Wolf Den parking lot and then took off in popularity.
Rose, and others with The Rainbow Market, helped organize something similar for this year’s PrideFest at Civic Center Park.
“There will be a portion of(of the park) for the 'Gayborhood Market,' in a tent where it's all local vendors,” she said.
50 queer Colorado artists and vendors will sell everything from art to jewelry.
“I think it's definitely a really great way to start, because there's already that foundation of support,” Rose said.
She went on to explain that organizers purposely left application costs low to allow for small businesses to take part.
“For them to get in low cost, be able to put all of their money towards their product and try to build their stock levels. And then be able to showcase who they are and what kind of brand they're trying to build,” Rose said.
“This is an opportunity that I've really only dreamt about,” Goitia said with a smile when talking about the upcoming market.
Goitia and Lita Clay will sell their unique ceramics at one table of the Gayborhood Market.
“I think people are really going to get to experience parts of Denver, parts of the Denver artist community, that they wouldn't have had the opportunity to see out otherwise,” she said.
The Gayborhood Market will be part of PrideFest at Civic Center Park, both June 22 and 23. Rose gave a last-minute pitch to attendees to stop by and shop.
“It's Pride Month. Go support a queer artist. Go support them financially. That's what we're here for. That's how small businesses thrive,” she said.
For more information on Denver Pride and the Gayborhood Market, click here.
