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Queer Artisan Market
June 28 @ 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Shop local, support queer! From 12-5pm at Centre Square in Kentville, we will have queer and trans owned makers and small businesses set up with all of their amazing wares. From jewelry to cards to print art to decorations, bring your wallet and find the piece that captures your heart.
Interspersed with the vendors will be resource organizations who support the queer community in the Valley. Be sure to stop by their tables to learn about what they do!
Resource Orgs:
The Health Equity Alliance of Nova Scotia (HEAL NS) is a registered charity and not-for-profit health promotion organization. We serve those living with and affected by HIV and members of the 2S/LGBTQIA+ community. We provide support services for people living with HIV, access to STI and HIV self-testing kits, and have recently launched Check Me Out, an easy-to-use checklist to inform sexual health discussions with your healthcare provider. Our aim is to improve health outcomes, end stigma and discrimination for our community members, and to end new HIV infections in Nova Scotia.
pflag Canada is Family for All. We bring together 2SLGBTQ+ people, family, friends and allies to create an inclusive future.
pflag Canada is a national charitable organization that was founded by parents who needed help learning how to accept and support their 2SLGBTQ+ children. We are dedicated to supporting, educating, and advocating for 2SLGBTQ+ people and those who love them.
Together, we are creating a just, caring and accepting world for everyone.
prideHealth supports Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex and asexual (2SLGBTQIA+) people by improving their access to safe, coordinated, comprehensive and culturally appropriate primary health care. We support individuals, families and NSH/IWK staff to promote health equity and affirming care.
prideHealth is a partnership between Nova Scotia Health and IWK Health.
For more than 20 years The Red Door has been providing confidential sexual health services, health education, and health promotion to youth ages 13-30.
We are proud to provide this support without judgement, in a safe environment complete with an expert staff and trained volunteers.
As a non-profit, community-based organization The Red Door serves more than 1,000 clients annually, many of whom do not have a family doctor.
Sexual Health Resource Centre (Acadia Students’ Union)
The ASU’s Sexual Health Resource Centre (SHRC) works to facilitate Acadia students’ advancement, growth, & development of sexual and reproductive health knowledge and practices. We provide education, resources, support and access to sexual and reproductive health products for the Acadia community. While some of our services are limited to Acadia students, we are happy to support the broader community where possible – just ask! We are also proud to be part of Sexual Health Nova Scotia’s Transformation Closet program, acting as a pick-up and try-on spot for free gender affirming gear for all Nova Scotians.
Get in touch by emailing shrc.asu@acadiau.ca or check us out on Instagram @SHRCAcadia, where we post free sexual health, gender, and reproductive health education and information on local services. Free healthcare navigation and sexual health pamphlets are available online at shrchub.my.canva.site/sub509.
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Vendors:
Taylor Linloff (they/them) is an author and zine maker originally from Cape Breton Island, now settled in Windsor. They are proudly queer and Autistic, with their works exploring intersections of mental health and queer identity. Their novella, My Name Is Marshall, will be available at the Come Together Queer Artisan Market.
Heather Clay Creations is a queer polymer clay business owned by Heather (she/her). Heather makes clay earrings and croc charms (new) that are fun, funky, lightweight, affordable & QUEER!
One Spruce Twig Beadwork (she/her)
Matilda is originally from Goose Bay, Labrador and has now been in Nova Scotia for 16 years. Matilda is a Nunatsiavut beneficiary, which is recognized as one of the Inuit communities. Working with beads, leather, antler and fur is among one of the many ways she expresses her work. Pronouns are She/Her. Proud mom of Michael, a non binary kiddo with insane talent!
My name is Ailise Stillman, and I am the artist behind Made With Love Cards and Art! I am a queer student currently living in Wolfville and attending Acadia University. I grew up in Halifax, but have spent lots of time in the valley throughout my life, and I am proud to call it my second home. My business features hand-painted acrylic art postcards featuring mainly floral and Nova Scotian landscape designs. I also have a line of subtle pride fruit cards that will be available at the Queer Artisan Market with Valley Pride. I am so excited to be able to share my art with you all, and I look forward to seeing everyone there!
Hannah and I (Shelley) of Retro Hippo Boutique are very excited to be a part of the Pride Market. We are a brick and mortar store located in Centreville that specialize in coloured glass, ceramics, lighting, afghans, really anything that is from 1940s to the 90s that have nostalgia with fun and flair. We started the business 5 years ago to give Hannah the opportunity to be out in the public, being a person with Cerebral Palsy and needing support is a challenge for employers. Hannah is Pansexual, Shelley is Queer and Hannah has an identical transgender twin brother.
Leigh is a disabled, bi mom with a quirky sense of style that comes out in her jewelry. Her jewelry designs may seem a little… odd, but her children have said that she can’t make anything straight. They are prime examples of that.
Below the Felt Creations is fantastical felt created by a fantastical creator! Everything from fungi to fandom can be found in their array of figures, with room for custom orders. A passion-project of part-human, part-muppet Lilly Ashdown, Below the Felt Creations is her way to bring her whimsy driven art to the world and hopefully inspire joy!
My name is Ashley (she/they), and I hand draw fine-line botanicals as Fox + Fae. Get my designs as cards, prints, or ask about commissions! Always happy to work with folks on custom designs for prints, tattoos, or whatever else you can dream up. I also offer cutesy beaded bracelets and necklaces.
Kaslo Aran Pottery, queer owned and located in the Valley, will be in attendance at the Pride Market with a collection of hand crafted and wheel thrown functional ceramics as well as original lino block prints.
Nicole Langdon is a 28 year old queer femme who was raised in Ellershouse, Nova Scotia. A hairstylist by trade since 2020, catering to genderless salon services, she was diagnosed with Thoracic outlet syndrome in 2022, and founded Disco Is Not Dead Designs during a 5 month surgical leave after her first, and later second, rib removal. Some of her first designs can be found proudly on display in the windows at Bridge Beauty Bar in Kentville. Each mirrored tile is hand placed by Nicole, and every discoball sculpture is unique.
Nicole draws inspiration from mixing the beauty of nature in the Annapolis Valley with the reflective, almost armored effect from the tiles, along with a love of dance music, sparkles, and a fascination for the way light can transform a space.
She is firm on the opinion that disco is not dead.
Galaxy Overload blends cute and nerdy ideas to make unique hand-crafted goods. Ever evolving, there are always new items being created from adorable crocheted toys and keychains, and useful home goods, to glittery resin accessories like the ‘Glittery Glow-in-the Dark’ resin earrings, the ‘adorable’ beaded bracelets, ‘Iconic’ Pride Bees and Pride Cacti.
Radical Cat Creations (Xe/they/nekm)
Radical Cat Creations has been creating geeky and Pride related goodness for over a decade. Focusing mainly on cross stitching but also using other fiber arts including different embroidery techniques and weaving, xe creates accessories and home decor to show your spirit to the world through self-expression. Imriel is a non-binary, queer, neurodiverse, and Black/Indigenous person who has been working with Pride focused activism for many years and currently resides in New Minas with nekm dogs (Dean and Sammy), snake (Wesley) and husband.