Queer Women We Love, Red Hot Entrepreneurs, Wonder Women

Workin’ It 2011

September 19, 2011 Liz Gold

The Real L Word fans know Romi Klinger from her spot on the Showtime reality series, but this Pasadena, Calif.-born jewelry designer has lived a best-seller life since growing up in the care of two mothers and a father. Our cover girl has been a successful makeup artist, an apothecary buyer for Kitson, a co-creator of the famed lesbian event company PYT and a blogger at tenderomi.com. This year, Klinger and Vanessa Salazar founded HIJA Por Vida, a jewelry and accessories line exclusively sold through Love and Pride. Now solo, Klinger is moving forward with Casa Por Vida, her own jewelry brand inspired by Mexican and Native American designs. Her Web site, casaporvida.com, launches this month. “The best part of owning my own business is that I’m my own boss and I get a chance to do what I love,” Klinger says. “We make all these items by hand on our living room floors. So far, we’ve lost a lot of sleep—but, we’re hustlers and hard-workers. The fact is, when you believe in your product, work is a pleasure.”

2011’s Red Hot Entrepreneurs

When Linda McAllister arrived in Washington, D.C. after college, she was astonished by the limited options for lesbian-specific eateries in our nation’s capitol. McAllister felt that a metro area as diverse as D.C. should have more choices—and rather than wait for someone else to do it, this go-getter opened Lace, an upscale restaurant and lounge, in November 2008. Located in the up-andcoming quadrant of Northeast D.C., Lace serves as a meeting point for the local lesbian community as well as a sexy spot for dinner, drinks and dancing. While most major cities offer numerous clubs for gay men, “having an attractive, well-run establishment for women in the nation’s capitol provides me with a great deal of satisfaction,” McAllister says. “The lesbian community should have entertainment options that are owned and operated by ourselves, creating a fully welcoming environment.” As she gears up to celebrate Lace’s third anniversary, McAllister says “passion” is her motivation. Her advice to aspiring entrepreneurs: “Don’t listen to the naysayers, and follow your heart!”