Olivia Barone
Arts & Entertainment Editor
RIC is home to a vast community of LGBTQ+ identifying students whose pride in their identities doesn’t end with June. Community members and allies can turn to Providence’s LGBTQ+ owned businesses to keep the spirit of unity alive all year long. Here is The Anchor’s guide to your neighborhood queer businesses.
Small Format is a cafe and art-gallery hybrid located at 335 Wickenden St. A self-proclaimed home for “queer creative culture,” Small Format is a safe haven for LGBTQ+ folk. Famous for their coffee, cocktails and creative events, founder Tameka Eastman-Coburn has built a colorful and cozy niche hidden within Providence. Some events include game nights, movie nights and performances featuring LGBTQ+ musicians and comedians. Small Format is open Sunday, Monday and Thursday from 10 a.m.–6 p.m. and from 10 a.m.–7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
Owned by sisters Caroline and Mads Vericker, Heartleaf Books is a nearby indie bookstore. Teeming with queer literature, the shop is designed to cater to its community of bookworms. Quaint yet welcoming, it seems there are stories by authors from all communities on Heartleaf’s shelves. Heartleaf Books can be found at 374 Atwells Ave. and is open Wednesday through Sunday.
Fall is in full-swing and with it comes a variety of tasty treats to try. For your candy apple fix, head to Andre’z Dipped and Drizzled, a woman owned business. Their website features apples smothered in chocolate and rolled in marshmallows, pretzels, Oreos, and gummy-worms galore. Customers who pre-order can customize their own apples with a layer of caramel, three different types of chocolate and more than twelve toppings to satisfy your sweet-tooth. Andre’z is located at 1903 Mineral Spring Ave., North Providence and is open Tuesday through Saturday.
Rhode Island’s famous Friskie Fries is another delicious queer-owned restaurant. The teal truck complete with iconic tabby-cat can be seen at almost every major Rhode Island event, including Providence Pride in June. An unforgettable menu includes their signature fries topped with beef chili and cheese, as well as an assortment of other unique flavors like the “Alleycat,” a box of fries covered in fresh garlic, olive oil and parmesan cheese. Owner Rande Diantuono is heavily involved in Providence’s queer community, being the owner of both The Dark Lady and The Alley Cat, a local LGBTQ+ nightclub and bar respectively. Friskie Fries is located at 100 Washington St. and is open Monday through Saturday.
Providence’s Pride celebration is known as one of the best in the country, but that doesn’t mean that its queer community disappears after June. Keep an eye out for other queer, woman and POC owned businesses near you. It doesn’t take long to find a hidden gem in Rhode Island’s capital.