Today we’d like to introduce you to Charlie Croy
Hi Charlie, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
In January of 2020, my partner Caleb and I wanted a big change – so we decided that in Spring, we would pack up and move from the Midwest to Florida. By the time Spring hit, of course, the world had rapidly and drastically changed from the COVID-19 pandemic. We expected that Caleb would be able to transfer stores when we moved, but he got locked in a hiring freeze that never opened up again, and when it came to me finding a quick job – well, the pandemic definitely made that more challenging that anticipated.
While our transition looked different than we had expected, we still made the leap – and by April, we were living in my mom’s spare bedroom in central Florida and waiting for the answer to the same question that everyone else was: “what now?” The beginning of our answer to that question came with the stimulus checks.
When the entire world was changing and scary and unknown, we wanted to do something different – we wanted to provide comfort, especially to the LGBTQIA+ community in an increasingly hostile political space. Being in the queer community, especially as polyamorous bisexual people, we understood a need for visibility and celebration of those identities that face the most erasure, even within the queer community. So, we started with pride flag blankets. We invested in tons of fleece and started measuring, testing, creating, and refining.
As our processes improved, so did our ideas. From the blanket scraps, we started making cat toys. Increasing our sewing skills, we expanded and experimented further with aromatherapy rice packs. The more we learned, the more possible all of it became, and a world of ideas spilled open. While the world started to press forward again, we fell into temporary jobs and a “new normal” – but we never stopped creating in that spare time.
Then in May of 2023, my partner Meredith joined us as we decided to take our business to the next level; we attended our first craft fair in a local mall. Being transgender in Florida in 2023 was – and still is – unnerving; it has been labeled by trans journalist Erin Reed as the least safe state for trans people in the country due to the extreme and hostile legislation being introduced (even earning travel advisory warnings from several prominent civil rights organizations, including Equality Florida, the Human Rights Campaign, the NAACP, and more). Going to this craft fair wasn’t just about boosting our small business, it was about being openly trans and queer and expressing to others that we’re not going anywhere, we’re here, we deserve visibility and comfort and safety and to be seen. To our surprise, the response was wildly positive – we had several people come to our table to express support and solidarity. That fueled our fire to keep going, to be bigger and do more and make more and reach more within our community.
We now offer pride flag blankets, cat toys, aromatherapy rice packs, trinket bags, queer art, pride brick accessories (as a nod to our roots at Stonewall), and more; always continuing to expand our offerings.
We moved to Jacksonville at the beginning of this year, and we immediately got involved with the local queer communities – from the ongoing Queer Market at Colors Community Center to joining Kamala’s Closet to promote self-care to volunteering and working with Equality Florida. We are proud to be activists for our community, and we are proud to craft high-quality handmade pride gifts and gear, year-round, with an emphasis on comfort. We are proud to celebrate any flag and every identity, to uplift our community and help them feel seen and loved and safe as we forge a home for ourselves against the odds of this complicated political landscape. We are proud to offer the best in queer comfort and pride.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s been a wild ride from the beginning for us. We got started in the middle of the pandemic, the supply chain has gotten wildly expensive, we’ve had to navigate capitalism amidst inflation and rising rent costs, the political landscape has been volatile globally, nationally, and especially state-wide for the LGBTQIA+ community, and a small business trying to compete with billionaire big box stores can be quite the challenge. But we keep going, keep adapting, keep making the changes we need to forge forward – and we do.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Hand Tied Pride crafts high-quality handmade pride gifts and gear with an emphasis on comfort. We make pride flag blankets, cat toys, aromatherapy packs, trinket bags, pride brick accessories, and more, continuing to expand our offerings. Any flag and every identity is celebrated, and we embrace personalization and customization. With Hand Tied Pride, you’ll get the best in queer comfort and pride.
I’ve been an artist and an activist for many years now. Hand Tied Pride is the way we show up for our community, utilizing our skills and passions to make people feel seen and valued and safe and celebrated. It’s a way to connect with our community, it’s a way to say “I see you, you’re not alone, you deserve comfort and space.” I am most proud of those moments when someone sees their flag on something we make and they get so excited, they smile, they feel seen.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
Luck is what you make of it. You can say we’re incredibly lucky that the pandemic gave us an opportunity we likely wouldn’t have considered without such a massive catalyst – or you can say we’re unlucky to come up with such an amazing idea (and investment) as the country grows increasingly expensive in every direction. You can say we’re lucky that we’ve been able to find support in every space we’ve shown up in, with people appreciating our art and creating a sense of community – or you can say we’re unlucky that homophobia and transphobia have become increasingly rampant since the start of our queer-owned business.
Luck comes and goes, but where there is a lack of luck, we make our own. Where there is an abundance of luck, there flows an abundance of gratitude with it. We have no choice but to keep going, to make things better one piece at a time, to pave our path so those who come after us feel safer and stronger – and, with hope and hard work, luckier.
Pricing:
- Customized Pride Flag Blankets – $90+
- Pride Brick Accessories – $10+
- Catnip toys Purride Packs – $8-$23+
- Aromatherapy Rice Packs – $12-$30+
- Magic Bags for trinkets – $8+
Contact Info:
- Website: https://hand-tied-pride.square.site/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/handtiedpride/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HandTiedPride
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@hand.tied.pride
