Workin It (Part 1) 2009
President and CEO, RainbowVision
Joy Silver asked the question: “What will happen to us when we age, or are in need of help, and who will provide those services particularly since some of us have alternative family structures?” She answered by founding RainbowVision Santa Fe, an adult community with condos, rentals and assisted living, now in its third year, where the LGBTQI & A population lives in the majority. With a fitness center, salon, restaurant, cabaret, and an event space, RainbowVision has become “the de facto community center for the Santa Fe LGBTQI+A,” according to Silver, hosting a wide range of ages and sexual identification at its many events. “Living through the AIDS crisis taught us that care through the end of life–medical and mental health challenges – may not necessarily be related to becoming elderly. The benefits that RainbowVision provides to our community are that there is now a place, and options for us that have never existed before.” – KW
The first 18 of 2009’s Red Hot Entrepreneurs!
Lucia Gerbino
Owner, Lucky Dog Leather
If the lesbian’s wearing leather, it might be a Gerbino: A piece of Lucia Gerbino’s wearable art, from her Lucky Dog line. Gerbino crafts leather belts, bracelets and cuffs, each made to order. Lucky Dog Leather accessories, says Gerbino, “are meant to make you feel fantastic. Every item is created to be an outward expression of the super cool, sexy mother f*cker that lives inside you.” You may have spotted some Lucky Dog on Suzanne Westenhoefer, Cathy DeBuono, Jill Bennett, Erin Foley or Lori Michaels. Selling directly to the community at Pride festivals, and events like the Dinah Shore Weekend, the accessories can also be found in select
boutiques and online.“ Part of being a craftsperson for me, is sharing the results of my labor with people who will ‘get it’,” Gerbino says. “I absolutely love the challenges of growing a business, especially because the product is so close to my heart.”– KW
