Gay Businesses Struggle to Earn Support

Gay Businesses Struggle to Earn Support

by Tammi Hitchcock

In a society where every diverse group wants to stand up and be counted, why is it that small businesses within these groups don’t appear to receive the support of their peers? Is it jealousy of someone else’s success? Is it the inability to commit oneself 100 percent to a cause, no matter what the costs? Or is it because some of these businesses just aren’t good business people to begin with? Other than entertainment businesses, is it even wise at this point in history — with people becoming so diverse — to depend on one social group to sustain a small business income? Probably not.

Take, for instance, gay-owned businesses which are spread throughout the mid-state area. They cross all professional arenas, religious affiliations, ethnic backgrounds, genders, and walks of life. And like some gay individuals, their “gayness” may be invisible to the eye, only revealing itself when necessary. But often it’s openly gay, “friendly,” or gay-owned businesses that seem shunned by the gay community instead of the straight community. Several gay business owners, when questioned about this malady, are at a loss for a concrete reason. Others hold convictions that history is the cause — the history of knowing who has done what, with who, and when. But Central Pennsylvania as a whole exhibits the small-mindedness of nosing in on other people’s business when, in reality, it really doesn’t concern them. So this doesn’t really make it a “gay” thing, does it?

“Gays live everywhere (on the West and East shores) and shop everywhere … There isn’t a compact village (like in New York, Chicago, or Philadelphia),” explains Ronn Fink, owner of The Bare Wall. “Maybe when times were tougher they (gays) were tighter,” says Tom Ryder, owner of BlueBird Imaging.

As any other sector of the population, there are customers who do not want to be associated with the “wrong” people. This is the “you are judged by the company you keep” phenomenon. Many gay individuals falling into this category are generally not totally “out” and living in fear of losing their families and/or jobs. For those individuals, this is a personal matter, and yet a public matter at the same time, because if society were more accepting of total diversity the fear would dissipate. Remember, choosing not to associate with any particular group, sect, or personality trait is not exclusive to any person — be they democratic, republican, gay, straight, black, white, green, rich, or poor. So what is it that small business owners must do to make you want to patronize them?

In general, you will find that most small businesses go the extra-mile, where most gay businesses go over and above to prove their worthiness of your support. It’s a matter of survival. “It’s like Avis. We try harder,” quips Lee Heiney, owner of Upholstery by Lee. “Many gays feel they have to prove themselves more, to be accepted for what you are,” he says. But it’s the “what you are” that gets rejected. When it all boils down, does it really matter what you are? If a business offers what you are in need of, shouldn’t you just go ahead and do your business there, regardless? If the services offered by a business, be it gay or straight, are superior to those of another, wouldn’t you obviously choose the better services. “When you’re hungry, you don’t think of if they’re gay,” says Cheryl Carter, long-time customer of the North Street Café. “If they have something you like, you go.”

Many businesses have tried gay-specific advertising avenues and supported gay civic organizations but have found the return on these investments negligible. This runs across all business venues, from cafés like North Street Café to gift shops like The Bare Wall. As with many businesses, gay or straight, word of mouth seems to be the best mode of marketing. And although society has come a long way in becoming more accepting, if gay businesses in Central PA dares to advertise in a straight media as “gay,” many people still won’t make the first attempt to patronize these businesses (except for the stereotypical beauty salons, interior design firms, and florists).

Fear of ostracism and retaliation is a factor faced by gay businesspeople daily. Hate groups in this conservative demographic area make gay business owners cautious of how they promote themselves. Being politically correct has become such a zealot’s paradise that it makes all niche market small businesses out to be renegades or Bohemians. But most aren’t. Most small business owners are people that either worked in the public sector or corporate jungles for years and finally got tired of it and decided to make things better on their own. And contrary to the many fears small business owners must face, most small business owners are brave. How many people do you know that would give up the sense of security of a regular income to try and make a living on their own?

Let’s set the record straight. Diversity in America is a way of life now. America became diverse when the first ship of foreigners landed and shared this continent with the Indians. Get over it. And the idea that gay businesses are only in creative fields is an unjust misconception. There are gay doctors, lawyers, coaches, and players. “Today gays are blending more into society,” says Ryder. All the more reason that people need to support all small businesses, even if it’s not as frequent as you’d like. “Let them know your belief in them, by patronizing them,” encourages Heiney.

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