Fund the Opening of Hot Stuff Studios

Help 2 queer femmes fund the opening of, “Hot Stuff Studios”, a flagship store and community-centric hub for celebrating BOLD creative expression!

We’ve been dreaming about this for years. Suddenly, we have a chance to make those dreams a reality.

About us: We’re Dru (30, right) and Trin (27, left), we met while vending at an Oakland warehouse-turned-art-gallery in 2018. Fast-forward to now, we are dating and are the creatives behind You Are Hot Stuff — a handmade clay jewelry brand based in Oakland, CA (yee). When our individual housing situations very suddenly and recently changed, we began making plans to move in together. We sorta had things figured out.

How’d we get here: Dru had an divinely timed intuitive spark that led us to a beautiful storefront property located on the popular University Ave in Berkeley, CA. Within 24 hours we’d applied, were approved, and we NOW have a lease in hand! Running a storefront / event space has been a separate dream of ours for years! We can hardly believe the timing in which we’ve found a space to support this vision and at a surprisingly affordable price point (for the Bay Area lol).

Why we’re crowdfunding?: Affordable as it is monthly, between the two of us, we don’t currently have all of the up-front resources ($$$) to pay the sum of move-in costs, insurance, permits and licenses that will be required for the space’s intended uses. The move is currently scheduled for January 1st, aka hella fast, so we’re looking to our individual and shared networks, aka you, to offer support in rallying funds to cover initial costs!

Why we can pull this off?: Between us, we’ve built 3 brands, have led art workshops, managed community and retail spaces, and planned a wide variety of events. We’ve literally done it all except had a full venue of our own. We’ve got the chops, just not enough cash. We see so much potential for this space to become a hub for creators and creativity appreciative folks to shop, learn, get inspired, and build community. If you’ve ever bought from You Are Hot Stuff before, you already know what we’re all about: bold designs, bright colors, and not only standing up for the things you believe in; but wearing them. As we move our studio from dining room table to commercial storefront, the statements we make with our style and practice will grow even bigger.

What we want?: $7,000 to help build out this venue into a versatile storefront and event space.

HOT STUFF STUDIOS (mockup, obv professionally done)

Hot Stuff Studios will be home to:

All of this designed with accessibility in mind as the space is ADA compliant. Accessibly affordable too with rates tailored to the needs of the community.

We can’t wait to host the works of our incredibly talented peers, displaying them proudly, and increasing their visibility and opportunities to be PAID for their creative expression—in whatever form that may be.

Any support is appreciated!

The best way to support us in building this vision is by helping us meet our $7000 fundraising goal by January 1st! Even if it’s just with $3.

Unable to support financially? That’s OK! Please share within your network if you resonate with what we’ve laid out here. :)

We expect that there will be plenty of opportunities to donate your time as well by helping us redesign and paint the space once we’re in.

Everyone who donates will receive first access to attend Hot Stuff Studios events and booking the space. You’ll also receive a coupon for your next You Are Hot Stuff order, as a treat. :)

Thank you so much for taking the time to review our cause! We’d love to hear your ideas on how you’d like to see this space used. DM us! @youarehotstuff

- Trin and Dru <3