The Feisty Collective Brings Queer Joy to the Heights

Art as a means of joyful resistance is a hallmark within the LGBTQ community. Kris Owens owns The Feisty Collective, a shop located in the Heights that showcases queer artists and makers who truly understand the power that art has. The shop sells queer-centric crafts and goods while platforming a mission of bringing people together in community and solidarity. The Feisty Collective is a labor of love and collaborative effort years in the making.

“Before Feisty Collective, I owned Feisty Design Company,” the Kingwood native explains. Owens transferred their one-of-a-kind LGBTQ, mental health, and feminist-inspired designs to tumblers, coasters, keychains, bags, and more. “I would go to different markets in Houston and sell my goods,” they add.

Soon, Owens started hearing a familiar plea from loyal customers. “They would ask when I was going to open a store. They wanted to be able to shop with me more than once a month.” Owens recalls. “They’re the ones that gave me the confidence to open The Feisty Collective.”

Owning a shop was familiar territory for Owens, who co-owned a boutique years before. Still, the artist admits that opening The Feisty Collective came with some apprehension. “In March 2020, the pandemic hit and sank us really fast. The store closure left Owens feeling depressed, having always dreamed of owning their own brick-and-mortar. “My customers came to me and said, ‘We will come support you. Just believe in yourself.’ That was my motivation to open this shop.”

The rainbow-painted exterior facing Lawrence Street makes Feisty hard to miss. The colorful outside is indicative of the queer joy awaiting inside. Keychains hanging along the walls amidst a variety of colorful stickers, T-shirts with humorous catchphrases resting among enamel pins, candles lined delicately alongside artist prints, and so much more all fill the space.

“I knew I didn’t want to just feature my products. I had met so many amazing queer artists and makers around town while I was selling at markets over the past four years, and I knew this needed to be a collective,” Owens says. “I wanted to be able to showcase and spotlight them, as well.”

Owens has opened the door for makers outside of their network, even drawing interest from overseas to sell in their shop. “Primarily we feature local queer artists, but we have some from as far as France,” they explain. “Artists will reach out to us and say, ‘Hey, we love what you’re doing and we would love to be a part of it.’ Every three to four months, we will rotate people out and bring in new makers. That way everybody has an opportunity to be in here, one way or another.”

The shop’s location was a no-brainer for Owens, whose decision to open outside of Houston’s “gayborhood” was intentional. “Queer people exist outside of Montrose. I love Montrose, but we deserve to be seen everywhere,” they say. “Everyone’s so friendly, and I think the Heights is starting to become the new Montrose. There are so many queer people in this neighborhood.”

In addition to selling unique queer creations, Owens hosts a number of events throughout the year. “I love connecting people and creating community,” they say. Events include book clubs, group coloring nights, friend speed dating, and more. “These events allow community building to naturally happen with safe and like-minded people. Queer events around town are largely focused in bars, or there’s usually a drinking element involved. I love a margarita, but I wanted a space where people could go and still find community without the drinking or club element, because it can be hard to make genuine connections that way.

“A lot of the queer events are not family- or kid-friendly, so I wanted to host events for our younger generation of queer kiddos,” the artist explains. Such events include trivia nights, karaoke parties, drag queen story hours, and drag shows that Owens often performs in as LoteRina. “My drag community has really supported me and the shop by doing free shows, helping behind the register, and spreading the word.” Events are primarily hosted by Owens, but vendors and people in the community are also welcome to host events.

The shop’s success is representative of years of hard work and perseverance. The fruits of Owens’s labor shine as bright as the shop’s exterior rainbow wall, which serves as a beacon of queer joy in the Heights. “I hope when people visit they leave feeling stronger than when they first walked in. Stronger in the sense of community, who they are, and just knowing they’re not alone. They always have a friend here,” Owens says. “When the world and everything around us feels chaotic, there’s a little slice of queer joy they can find here. My hope is that customers feel loved, seen, heard, and feisty!”

For more info, visit thefeistycollective.com.