Community Guide
Small businesses and nonprofit organizations serving LGBTQ+ folks in the River Valley and beyond with pride and care
Search by category, service, product, or location
Something missing? Click here to learn about our Partner Network program or make a suggestion.
BROWSE BY CATEGORY
ARTS & EVENTS
Artists, event-creators, and communities
Why’s It Gotta Be? Theater Group is a new theater group based in Western Massachusetts telling stories that are fresh, queer, and gender diverse.
The Sanctuary is a community art collective for queer, trans, and allied artists and performers. We are home to the HolySmokes Theatre Company and the House of Grotesque Burlesque Troupe. We are seeking members to be a part of co-creating a vibrant and supportive creative hive.
Since 2006, Pioneer Valley Roller Derby has set a standard of inclusion, as the first flat track roller derby league to offer both women’s and men’s teams and the first to offer an all-/no-gender team.
Lavender Fields Social Club is your social home for game nights, crafting, performances, and nostalgic parties – where strangers become community.
Opening in 2026, HYPHAE: Makers Market & Skills Studio is a co-creation of M and Jey of Yet Another Queer Pop-Up Market. It is the first 2SLGBTQIA+ and BIPOC-centered creative retail and workshop space in Western Massachusetts. Offering a mix of unique handmade items, artist-led skills courses, and creative business support for local makers, our goal is to be a “third space” for authentic, intersectional community-building and connection.
Slanted Ceiling Pictures is a Massachusetts based and LGBTQ+ Founded Independent film production company formed by three filmmakers, each with over 15 years of professional experience. We are passionate about telling original stories rooted in the woods of Western Massachusetts, drawing from the seasons, the community, and our love of the region. We are currently in pre-production for our upcoming feature film, The Grey Veil Haunt.
50 Arrow Gallery is a new free to use gallery space dedicated to social equity and inclusion in Easthampton. This 2000 square ft. BIPOC focused curated gallery space is free to use, free to attend, and does not charge artists any form of gallery fees for sales. This space will focus on providing a platform to historically marginalized communities, while maintaining a “meet people where they are” philosophy.
The Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce (GNCC) is an investor-supported, nonprofit organization that creates meaningful connections, , facilitates strategic collaborations, and supports community-building opportunities. Through a shared vision for a thriving economy and community, our investors, volunteers, staff, and other stakeholders are dedicated to personal and business growth, economic development, and collective engagement to drive progress for all.
Franklin County Pride, Inc. is a 501c3 non-profit organization run by a committee of dedicated volunteers. Franklin County Pride mission is to create a community in which all LGBTQIA+ youth, adults, and families can enjoy the freedom to live safely, openly, and genuinely, free from discrimination due to race, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation.
Jess Martin, a singer-songwriter from Western Massachusetts, fuses gothic folk, punk, and modern rock with haunting melodies and poignant lyrics. Dubbed "a punk rock Joan Baez," Jess’s music explores themes of identity, transformation, and belonging.
![SPEC [suspended play & educational circus]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/68e14f23f2193757fcfa7e93/1771454004317-Q49D4RRZZAM3RGRPCLBX/Untitled+design+%2812%29.png)
SPEC [suspended play & educational circus], founded by artistic and life partners Mykelle Walton and Jennifer Thornquest, is a creative collective rooted in connection and driven by curiosity.
Indë (they/he) is a multimedia composer based in Northampton, making interdisciplinary work about intersectional experiences. Painter/performer/songwriter/designer/multi-this/poly-that. A renaissance person passionate about music theory & production, communication design, fairies, expressionism, and liberation.
Double Edge is a cultural cooperative and ensemble collective -- a place of nurturing and sanctuary. Like the water that runs around and through the land it occupies, Double Edge is a river for artists who thirst. From all ancestral legacies, cultural backgrounds, community contexts, & walks-of-life. Often artists, educators, and scholars come here to identify more clearly, to understand themselves, and to seek where their courage will allow them to go. Double Edge protects the silence of their internal space, while simultaneously ensuring that no one is silenced. They fuse the highest caliber of artistic work, a deep love of the natural environment, and an unwavering faith in human potential. They value awareness of the earth around us as essential to the ability to invent, cultivate, witness -- and to share a communal meal, or fruit from the trees, or an intimate conversation. Double Edge is a place of demand, deep research and development outside the rigid structures of institution, academia, and form. It is a place of continuous experimentation and necessary risk taking.
Yet Another Queer Pop-Up Market (YAQPUM) is a fledgling pop-up market centering LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and emerging artisans and makers exploring their craft.
The Fantasies of Youth by artist Elayna Sturm (she/they/xe/he) translates dreams into something tangible.
RCA’s mission is to sustain collective efforts for social progress and equity through affordable arts programming.
The Color Collaborative work swith organizations, municipalities, and communities to create vibrant murals that breathe life into spaces.
BUSINESS SUPPORT
Small business services, workplace training and development
Podge (she/her) is a queer, neurodivergent, multiracial creative entrepreneur.
She teaches people how to reclaim their curiosity and leverage Notion to build intuitive and supportive systems.
Podge is working at the intersection of people and operations, and is passionate about decolonizing our systems, lives and brains. She does this by infusing her values into coaching and teaching others.
Meet Andie (they/them), owner of Spiral Tending LLC. They offer business support to healing practitioners and 1:1 coaching for private practice therapists.
Constellate helps mission-driven organizations integrate and activate their values, strategies, systems, and execution to adapt and succeed in increasingly volatile political, economic, and environmental conditions. Working together to create regenerative, creative, and future-oriented solutions, Constellate helps clients stay grounded in purpose and possibility as they lead their organizations and communities through internal and external transformation.
Fran Astino (she/her) is a Human Resources & Administrative Consultant, Yoga Teacher, Space Holder, and Sound Meditation Facilitator.
Yet Another Queer Pop-Up Market (YAQPUM) is a fledgling pop-up market centering LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and emerging artisans and makers exploring their craft.
Translate Gender is a trans-led nonprofit organization founded in 2006 to serve its community here in Western Massachusetts. They provide innovative programming for youth and families, gender affirming therapeutic services, host and collaborate on community events to empower and inspire. They offer resources to advocate for gender justice in K-12 schools, organizations, and communities, and provide training and education services to ensure all spaces can be affirming for our communities. At the heart of the organization, they pride themselves on being a space for trans and gender expansive people to build community, resilience, and joy.
Bloom Local’s Community Guide highlights small businesses, nonprofits, and working artists who are supporing the LGBTQ+-community of the CT River Valley of Western Massachusetts.
CopyCat Northampton is a local, woman-owned business with over 30 years of dedicated, quality service to the Pioneer Valley.
CARE + COACHING
Healthcare, Life Coaching, Financial Planning, Veterinary Care
Ezra Haas (he/they) is a queer transmasc dog trainer that focuses on positive reinforcement methods.
There and Bark Again offers free consults, classes, and one-on-one sessions. They offer an accessible sliding scale, virtual and in-person sessions, and flexible teaching methods.
Homeward Bound Nutrition is a nutrition based private practice, owned by Cara D'Anello MS RD LDN (They/Them). Cara is a Registered Dietitian whose work primarily focuses on supporting folks with eating disorders, disordered eating, history of dieting, chronic illness and those seeking out nutrition guidance from a Health at Every Size ® framework. They identify as a queer, nonbinary, and neurodivergent provider who holds deep values in body liberation, disability justice, and the application of the harm reduction model to eating disorder care.
Meet Andie (they/them), owner of Spiral Tending LLC. They offer business support to healing practitioners and 1:1 coaching for private practice therapists.
Colorful Resilience is a Queer-Afro-Latina-owned outpatient mental health services office in West Springfield, Massachusetts. We provide therapy – primarily, but not exclusively – to BIPOC, LGBTQ+, First Generation, and immigrant folks. We offer in-person sessions to those in Western MA area and virtually for those all across Massachusetts. Our clinicians and clinical interns are proud representatives of the communities we serve, fearless allies, or both.
Stavros Center for Independent Living is a disability justice organization based in Western Massachusetts, run by and for people with disabilities. We fight for equity, autonomy, and access—not as charity, but as a right. Our services range from peer advocacy and housing support to transitional services and systems change work.
Stavros is proudly inclusive of LGBTQ+ community members—many of our staff and consumers are LGBTQ+ themselves. We know that true independence includes the right to live authentically. Whether you’re navigating barriers in healthcare, housing, or public life, we’re here in solidarity.
Access is love. Liberation is collective.
Integrity Veterinary Center is a specialty and urgent care veterinary hospital in Northampton, Massachusetts.
Keith Aron (he/they) is a Martha Beck certified Wayfinder Life Coach and an International Coaching Federation Associate Certified Coach. Keith supports folks in navigating the growing pains that are a natural part of personal transformation and life expansion. Having lived on both sides of the gender binary and several places in between, they especially enjoy working with queer, trans and GNC folks who are in the process of embracing their essential selves.
Fran Astino (she/her) is a Human Resources & Administrative Consultant, Yoga Teacher, Space Holder, and Sound Meditation Facilitator.
Transhealth is an independent and comprehensive healthcare center that supports and empowers trans and gender-diverse individuals and families.
Em Ike (they/them) OTR/L, CLT is a queer non-binary pelvic floor therapist and the owner of Pioneer Valley Pelvic Health.
Sanctuary is a center for personal healing and collective well-being located in downtown Northampton, Mass.
CLASSES + EDUCATION
Workshops, learning
Ezra Haas (he/they) is a queer transmasc dog trainer that focuses on positive reinforcement methods.
There and Bark Again offers free consults, classes, and one-on-one sessions. They offer an accessible sliding scale, virtual and in-person sessions, and flexible teaching methods.
Podge (she/her) is a queer, neurodivergent, multiracial creative entrepreneur.
She teaches people how to reclaim their curiosity and leverage Notion to build intuitive and supportive systems.
Podge is working at the intersection of people and operations, and is passionate about decolonizing our systems, lives and brains. She does this by infusing her values into coaching and teaching others.
Meet Andie (they/them), owner of Spiral Tending LLC. They offer business support to healing practitioners and 1:1 coaching for private practice therapists.
North Star is a nonprofit organization that operates more closely to a community center than a school, offering a full schedule of noncompulsory classes, tutorials, workshops, volunteer opportunities, and outings for youth ages 11-19. Each member is assigned a personal advisor from our core staff to build personal connections and support their interests.
Opening in 2026, HYPHAE: Makers Market & Skills Studio is a co-creation of M and Jey of Yet Another Queer Pop-Up Market. It is the first 2SLGBTQIA+ and BIPOC-centered creative retail and workshop space in Western Massachusetts. Offering a mix of unique handmade items, artist-led skills courses, and creative business support for local makers, our goal is to be a “third space” for authentic, intersectional community-building and connection.
50 Arrow Gallery is a new free to use gallery space dedicated to social equity and inclusion in Easthampton. This 2000 square ft. BIPOC focused curated gallery space is free to use, free to attend, and does not charge artists any form of gallery fees for sales. This space will focus on providing a platform to historically marginalized communities, while maintaining a “meet people where they are” philosophy.
Franklin County Pride, Inc. is a 501c3 non-profit organization run by a committee of dedicated volunteers. Franklin County Pride mission is to create a community in which all LGBTQIA+ youth, adults, and families can enjoy the freedom to live safely, openly, and genuinely, free from discrimination due to race, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation.
SPEC [suspended play & educational circus], founded by artistic and life partners Mykelle Walton and Jennifer Thornquest, is a creative collective rooted in connection and driven by curiosity.
Foxtrot Farm is a certified organic, six-acre farm in Ashfield, MA. We are proudly woman-owned, and our small team of queer, female, and nonbinary farmers grows the highest quality botanical herbs and climate resilient foods using no-till and human-scale methods. We sell bulk fresh & dried organic herbs, herbal teas, elderberry products, and specialty produce to apothecaries, restaurants, and makers. Our sliding scale CSAs and PYO program aim to make using these plants approachable, accessible, and fun, and we offer a 15% BIPOC reparations discount on everything we grow.
Double Edge is a cultural cooperative and ensemble collective -- a place of nurturing and sanctuary. Like the water that runs around and through the land it occupies, Double Edge is a river for artists who thirst. From all ancestral legacies, cultural backgrounds, community contexts, & walks-of-life. Often artists, educators, and scholars come here to identify more clearly, to understand themselves, and to seek where their courage will allow them to go. Double Edge protects the silence of their internal space, while simultaneously ensuring that no one is silenced. They fuse the highest caliber of artistic work, a deep love of the natural environment, and an unwavering faith in human potential. They value awareness of the earth around us as essential to the ability to invent, cultivate, witness -- and to share a communal meal, or fruit from the trees, or an intimate conversation. Double Edge is a place of demand, deep research and development outside the rigid structures of institution, academia, and form. It is a place of continuous experimentation and necessary risk taking.
Fran Astino (she/her) is a Human Resources & Administrative Consultant, Yoga Teacher, Space Holder, and Sound Meditation Facilitator.
Wistariahurst is a community museum dedicated to preserving the history of Holyoke and inspiring an appreciation of history and culture through educational programs, exhibits, and special events for the Connecticut River Valley and beyond. Year-round exhibits and events are open to all.
The J.S. Bryant School is a therapeutic day high school that will energize LGBTQ+ students’ curiosity and learning passion through creative exploration, farming entrepreneurship, and climate innovation, emphasizing learning excellence.
The Fantasies of Youth by artist Elayna Sturm (she/they/xe/he) translates dreams into something tangible.
Regardless of age, music experience or financial situation, NCMC has something for you!
Translate Gender is a trans-led nonprofit organization founded in 2006 to serve its community here in Western Massachusetts. They provide innovative programming for youth and families, gender affirming therapeutic services, host and collaborate on community events to empower and inspire. They offer resources to advocate for gender justice in K-12 schools, organizations, and communities, and provide training and education services to ensure all spaces can be affirming for our communities. At the heart of the organization, they pride themselves on being a space for trans and gender expansive people to build community, resilience, and joy.
Bloom Local’s Community Guide highlights small businesses, nonprofits, and working artists who are supporing the LGBTQ+-community of the CT River Valley of Western Massachusetts.
RCA’s mission is to sustain collective efforts for social progress and equity through affordable arts programming.
The Color Collaborative work swith organizations, municipalities, and communities to create vibrant murals that breathe life into spaces.
Sanctuary is a center for personal healing and collective well-being located in downtown Northampton, Mass.
FAMILY + YOUTH FOCUS
Family-friendly; programs for young people
North Star is a nonprofit organization that operates more closely to a community center than a school, offering a full schedule of noncompulsory classes, tutorials, workshops, volunteer opportunities, and outings for youth ages 11-19. Each member is assigned a personal advisor from our core staff to build personal connections and support their interests.
Since 1986 the mission of Northampton Parents Center (NPC) has been to provide a safe, nurturing, and non-judgmental space for young children and their caregivers to meet and play: a place for caregivers to find support, information, affirmation and frieindship.
The support of individuals, businesses, and grants sustains our programming at no cost to families. NPC is a lifeline and a landmark in the Pioneer Valley and beyond and we welcome ALL families!
The J.S. Bryant School is a therapeutic day high school that will energize LGBTQ+ students’ curiosity and learning passion through creative exploration, farming entrepreneurship, and climate innovation, emphasizing learning excellence.
Regardless of age, music experience or financial situation, NCMC has something for you!
Translate Gender is a trans-led nonprofit organization founded in 2006 to serve its community here in Western Massachusetts. They provide innovative programming for youth and families, gender affirming therapeutic services, host and collaborate on community events to empower and inspire. They offer resources to advocate for gender justice in K-12 schools, organizations, and communities, and provide training and education services to ensure all spaces can be affirming for our communities. At the heart of the organization, they pride themselves on being a space for trans and gender expansive people to build community, resilience, and joy.
Bloom Local’s Community Guide highlights small businesses, nonprofits, and working artists who are supporing the LGBTQ+-community of the CT River Valley of Western Massachusetts.
RCA’s mission is to sustain collective efforts for social progress and equity through affordable arts programming.
Sanctuary is a center for personal healing and collective well-being located in downtown Northampton, Mass.
High Five Books is an independent kids’ community bookstore in downtown Florence, Massachusetts, right off the bike path. They've quickly become the neighborhood go-to for graphic novels, middle-grade and young adult readers, and picture books, plus art kits + other creative supplies for families. The High Five Books collection is strongly based in social justice and LGBTQIA+ themes, and the team loves seeing readers find themselves on their shelves.
SHOPPING
Unique retail, makers
Dry Humor is a non-alcoholic bottle shop and community space built around connection, inclusivity, and really great drinks.
Opening in 2026, HYPHAE: Makers Market & Skills Studio is a co-creation of M and Jey of Yet Another Queer Pop-Up Market. It is the first 2SLGBTQIA+ and BIPOC-centered creative retail and workshop space in Western Massachusetts. Offering a mix of unique handmade items, artist-led skills courses, and creative business support for local makers, our goal is to be a “third space” for authentic, intersectional community-building and connection.
Foxtrot Farm is a certified organic, six-acre farm in Ashfield, MA. We are proudly woman-owned, and our small team of queer, female, and nonbinary farmers grows the highest quality botanical herbs and climate resilient foods using no-till and human-scale methods. We sell bulk fresh & dried organic herbs, herbal teas, elderberry products, and specialty produce to apothecaries, restaurants, and makers. Our sliding scale CSAs and PYO program aim to make using these plants approachable, accessible, and fun, and we offer a 15% BIPOC reparations discount on everything we grow.
Crafty Queer Studio is a queer-owned and operated business that focuses on fun, affordable, and inclusive accessories and gifts for the LGBTQIA+ community and their allies. Everything at Crafty Queer Studio is individually handmade or designed, with a wide, affirming selection for *everyone*.
Yet Another Queer Pop-Up Market (YAQPUM) is a fledgling pop-up market centering LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and emerging artisans and makers exploring their craft.
The Fantasies of Youth by artist Elayna Sturm (she/they/xe/he) translates dreams into something tangible.
MEDIA SPONSORS
