Gay shop new york city
LGBTQ-Owned Businesses in New York State
From James Beard nominees and delicious diners to historic bed and breakfasts and contemporary art galleries, New York is filled with amazing LGBTQ-owned businesses. Support the state’s diverse LGBTQ community this Pride month and be sure to add these businesses to your next Empire State getaway! Photo Credit: Ayesha Thomas.
These are just a few of the astounding LGBTQ-owned businesses in Adj York State. Message us on Instagram @iloveny to feature LGBTQ-owned businesses you love in New York State!
Updated 05/14/2025 | Originally published 05/21/2024
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Capital-Saratoga
Credit: @vincentgiordanophotography on Instagram
Ambition Coffee House & Eatery (Schenectady)
Pour yourself a cup of Ambition at this coffee house serving up funky fresh sandwiches, local roasted c
Lee G. Brewster’s Mardi Gras Boutique
History
From 1989 to 2000, 400 West 14th Street was home to Lee G. Brewster’s Mardi Gras Boutique, a 5,000-square-foot “superstore” that catered to the transgender and drag communities. Brewster, an early trans activist and founder of the organization Queens Liberation Front and Drag magazine, began what became the Mardi Gras in 1969 as a mail order business for transsexuals, transvestites, drag queens, and other gender variant people that he operated from his apartment.
By the late 1970s, require was so great that Brewster opened a physical store on the second story of 565 Tenth Avenue in Hell’s Kitchen. He later moved the store to the third floor of 400 West 42nd Street before moving to a larger space at 400 West 14th Street in 1989. The Mardi Gras sold clothing, shoes, accessories, wigs, makeup, and a variety of books and publications on transgender topics. Brewster was adamant that the store not be located on the ground floor as a way to guard
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