ThePrideStore.com is an LGBTQ-owned & operated e-commerce platform partnered with Pride.com's parent company equalpride, offering a curated and always evolving selection of products sourced from businesses that are owned, operated, or founded by members and allies of the LGBTQ+ community.
Officially launching November 27, for Cyber Monday, The Pride Store is your one stop shop for lifestyle essentials. From thoughtfully designed candles and handpainted clothing to ethically sourced coffee and timeless, personalized jewelry, The Pride Store is not only a place to celebrate who you are, but is also your best friend when it comes to holiday gifting.
For example, get to know more about Prohibition Wellness, a self-care brand whose body lotions and moisturizers will not only take your skin care game to the next level, but are made genderless for everyone to use. Prohibition Wellness’ founder, Angela Mustone, along with the founders of Bougie Funk, a hand-poured candle brand founded by Aaron Pecson, and Small Town Weirdo, a hand-designed clothing brand founded by Adam Bucci, share more about their respective brands, the products they are proud to share with their community, and their own personal journeys of finding success.
Read on to learn more about these featured brands in The Pride Store and enjoy early access to The Pride Store with promo code LAUNCH to enjoy 10% off your order until December 4 when you visit ThePrideStore.com
Prioritizing inclusivity and celebrating pleasure are two core principles for Angela Mustone, an executive who has worked for some of the top self-care brands in the world, like Calexotics, before founding her own brands, Prohibition Wellness and High On Love. Skin care and other forms of self-care are still predominantly gendered in the wellness industry and that was something Angela wanted to change.
"At Prohibition, we believe that self-care should be inclusive and empowering for everyone,” Angela says. “Our gender-neutral approach challenges the conventional norms of the wellness industry, paving the way for a more inclusive future."
Prohibition Wellness’ unisex line includes various daily essentials to care for your body that range from shower gel and shaving cream to a massage candle, all made with premium hemp seed oil. Each and every product is crafted with a thoughtful and modern approach, inspired by the revolutionary acts of the Prohibition Era, and are designed exclusively by Angela.
That same level of curation is given to Mustone’s other self-care brand, High On Love. Soon to be available on The Pride Store, High On Love utilizes cannabis in self-care products that can be used intimately with or without a partner. Angela was inspired to create a brand that would encourage women to explore and celebrate their sexuality after witnessing how other women around the world purchased sex toys and other self-care products.
“Less than 10% of women still won’t go into sex shops. Everywhere I went to see how pleasure was sold to women, it was seldom there,” Angela explains. “I wanted to change how women could shop for themselves and their pleasure.”
With that in mind, Angela teases one of her favorite products that’s popular among couples and customers in general. And this one is edible.
“I came up with this dark chocolate body paint that has cannabis in it, and it’s such a fun and intimate gift you can give someone and enjoy yourself,” Angela shares. “It’s an indulgent treat I always recommend for special occasions or a long weekend, but whenever you’re using it, you’re celebrating yourself.”
Angela explains that cannabis and other premium ingredients are utilized in her self-care products because of how they naturally enhance pleasure when used on the skin.
“I love how cannabis has become more popular as a natural remedy that’s revolutionizing wellness, which is similar to the theme of Prohibition Wellness,” Angela compares. “I knew I needed to use it and combining it with pleasure and self-care just made perfect sense. I want people to revolutionize how they do self-care by celebrating their wellness.”
High On Love’s Dark Chocolate Body Paint is one of many products from the brand, including massage oil and body butter, that will be available soon on The Pride Store. Check out her brand Prohibition Wellness available now to shop on ThePrideStore.com.
For Aaron Pecson, his passion for scents and the memories they evoke all began when he’d mix his older siblings’ perfumes to create his own, personalized scent to represent his identity. It would take the beginning of the pandemic for Aaron to have the opportunity to create something that has evolved from a hobby to a lifelong passion.
“I found out one of my neighbors was making candles in his apartment and I was instantly intrigued, I had to know what the process was,” Aaron starts. “I’ve always had a good nose for identifying scents and it felt like a perfect way to do something and create something that people would enjoy.”
Aaron loves working with scents and is so passionate about them because they help recall cherished memories that can take a person back to a moment in time that made them feel at peace.
“Whenever I smell a banana leaf I’m instantly taken back to my childhood and the different places I lived when I was younger,” Aaron shares. “I want to harness those feelings of nostalgia and peace for other people to experience.”
The first candle Aaron created, Black Butterfly, was inspired by a song and was made for a co-worker describing their perfect scent. With notes of smoked vanilla, spiced rum, tobacco leaf, and tonka bean, smelling this candle is a transformative experience.
On The Pride Store, various candles from Aaron’s line are available for purchase, including the spicy and herbal Loverboy that has notes of sandalwood, Indian papyrus, black cardamom, and iris, and Desert Rose, which has notes of dried rose petals, violet blossom, tanned leather, and charred cedar.
“Desert Rose came to me when I smelled this scent and imagined where it would take me,” Aaron starts. “I was instantly transported to being in the desert, with a slight sweetness in the air, like being at a festival at sunset.”
Bougie Funk is both AAPI and LGBTQIA+ represented, and Aaron’s partner has been a major source of support when it comes to preparing orders and being there for Aaron.
“When I immediately started Bougie Funk, he was involved,” Aaron shares. “It’s really been a bond in our relationship being able to do this together. We’ve created such a tight-knit community of supporters of this small thing that I really hope can touch so many other people’s lives.”
Shop Bougie Funk candles like Loverboy and Desert Rose now on ThePrideStore.com.
Theatricality and a love for fashion are two aspects of Adam Bucci’s life that have been a part of him since he was a child, but were not things he felt comfortable expressing throughout high school and the beginning of adulthood.
“Even though I was a theater kid, I never told anyone that I would audition for musicals and that I had rehearsal. I never felt like I was able to share that with other people,” Adam explains. “And with fashion, there were so many things I wanted to wear that I wouldn’t be caught in. I was shy and wasn’t confident in my own skin, and it took a while for me to really open up.”
When Adam came out at 28, he started to explore more of his identity and love for pop culture, pursuing acting, but also wanting to make his own mark on fashion, combining a flair for horror and killer style.
“I painted my first jacket for fun and I immediately felt so confident when I went out and showed it off to people,” Adam admits. “I wanted to share that feeling with other people, people who could use the confidence I didn’t have when I was younger.”
Although Small Town Weirdo focuses on popular franchises from the horror genre that Adam then handpaints on stylish pieces of clothing, like denim jackets and t-shirts, his brand is inspired by the town outcast at the center of the story who becomes the underdog hero by the end of the film.
“I’m inspired by the weirdos, the people I identified with and want to inspire with my clothing,” Adam starts. “I want to honor all the final girls and boys out there, the ones that aren’t popular but have a strength inside them that they can use. They just have to find it.”
On The Pride Store, customers can find a shirt available now to purchase that honors the final boy in them with the Final Boy Camo Tee with a painted graphic boldly designed on it. And just in time for the holidays, Adam also has two tees that put a gory twist on Rudolph’s pal Hermey the Elf.
His eye for detail and creativity when it comes to applying his own personal style has been a huge hit with icons from the horror genre. Titans like Jamie Lee Curtis and “Scream” actors like Jack Quaid and Melissa Berrera have been huge supporters of Small Town Weirdo.
“When Jamie Lee wore my clothing on Instagram, it was such a huge moment for me. It was a rush of emotions and it really validated me and the style I tried to hide for so long,” Adam explains. “Having people find me and Small Town Weirdo because of that has helped me share my style with so many people.”
Shop Small Town Weirdo apparel now on ThePrideStore.com.
