Vancouvers Queer Entrepreneurs: Providing the City With Pride Merch All Year Round

Pride is here and finding stylish merch to wear or a queer-themed card to gift your friend (who hosts the annual pride bash) seems almost as impossible as finding a float in the parade that isn’t owned by a big corporation. Rest assured that stylish clothes, inclusive cards and many more pride items—which of course can be worn all year round— do in fact exist and are just waiting to be discovered by you. With a mix of online shops and in-person stores, every Vancouverite has the chance to find their perfect pride piece from one of the queer-owned—and operated—stores below. 

Little Sisters

Little Sisters—the Davie street staple—is your go-to place for queer-themed books, cards, flags, toys and more. Since its opening in 1983 Little Sisters has provided Vancouver’s queer community with a place to shop—and explore—without the fear of being judged for what’s in their shopping baskets—thus making it an ideal spot to source your pride must-haves. 

Proud Zebra 

If online shopping or a pop-up store at a local pride is how you want to purchase this year’s pride pins, flags and more Proud Zebra might be the option for you. Founded by couple Delwin and Jimmy—who fell in love in Singapore—the store went online in 2020. With a selection that includes lanyards, scarfs, pins, flags and so much more this store has the extra useful feature of allowing you to search for your merch by identity—therefore saving you some valuable time when online shopping. 

Retrophiliac

Looking for keychains, pins, patches and other merch that is not just queer-themed but also includes fun items for neurodivergent folks? Shopping at Retrophiliac could be the right choice for you—founded by Vancouver-based artist Margaux Wosk this Etsy shop prides itself on a large selection of items for the diverse communities of Vancouver and beyond. 

That Queer Card Co

Founded in Vancouver in 2022, That Queer Card Co sells items such as earrings, pins and—as the name suggests—cards, among others. Easily navigable, the website allows you to search for merch by identity and even offers a “subtle pride” section with pins that—contrary to most pride merch—are not rainbow-coloured all over. 

Pork Pie Brand

On the lookout for a suggestive but not at all classless piece of fashion for pride?  Luc Latulippe designs T-shirts—in a Tom of Finland kind of style—as well as Shirts with robotesc (robot-like) designs on them. Available through an online shop and in a variety of sizes and colours, Latulippe’s designs might just be the pride fit of the season. 

B Tea Apparel

Run by Vancouver-based Breanne Williamson, this online store sells hats, shirts and sweaters with creative punch lines like “I am only here for the queers and the beers” among others. Perfect for the typical Vancouver sweater weather—or a late night out once the chilly temperatures are back.   

Brandy Mars Designs

The self-described “gayest lil’ gift shop in all the land!” (according to owner Brandy Mars) sells everything from lesbian-inspired candy, cards and posters to full-on metal prints on big canvases. The highlight of her website though is a clickable map of queer stores all around Vancouver—curated by Mars herself—and free to access for anyone. 

By Meryk

Yet another Etsy store that deserves a mention is run by MK Meryk—a queer Vancouver-based multidisciplinary artist—who sells stickers with pride themes and more. Looking for a pronoun sticker to add to your pride parade water bottle or a pride flag sticker to decorate your car with? This store might just be the right fit for you. 

Make Vancouver

Something that tots needs to be included in a pride merch roundup is a tote bag—and it is even better when you can do something good while looking chic—like supporting Qmunity. Every purchase of candles, pins, hats and more leads to a 20% donation of the sales price to Qmunity—the queer organization of the West End. 

No matter where you end up buying your Pride attire from, rest assured that every penny spent on people from this list goes to fellow queer creatives and entrepreneurs. Vancouverites, grab your hats, your queer-themed shirts, your tote bags and more and let us celebrate pride all year round. It does not have to be Pride for the 2SLGBTQ+ community to be allowed to be proud.