Hi! We're Blair and Simone, a couple from New Orleans with dreams of building a tea house and performing arts space to build sapphic/lesbian community in New Orleans. Simone is a burlesque performer (you may know her as Carlotta Coquette!) who has created Sapphic Speakeasy, a burlesque show by and for sapphics. The show has seen great success, and we want to keep building community for our sapphic Nola babes. Blair is a tea connoisseur with the service industry skills to make sure our cafe is a success.

We are seeking funds to assist in opening Roommates, a CommuniTea House, a tea cafe by day and performance art space by night, all in the mission of building sapphic community here in Nola.

With the funds we raise in this fundraiser we plan to:

We're putting much of our personal savings into this project because we so believe that sapphics, wlws, and lesbians need spaces curated just for us! We've walked into too many "lesbian events" just to be hit on by straight m*n...our goal at Roommates is to create a queer-centric space where this never happens. We're buying into this dream for a cozy community cafe for the sapphic community, and we hope you'll consider supporting us!

Why do we believe Roommates will succeed?

Well, we have proof! Simone/Carlotta's Sapphic Speakeasy shows have been selling out in advance, demonstrating a clear need for sapphic/lesbian spaces in New Orleans. Besides being a sapphic-forward space, we have a few other differentiating factors. The location we are looking into is in clear need of a cafe, with several hotels nearby and no close cafe spot. On top of that, we plan to be a dog-friendly establishment, so you can grab an herbal tea or cup of Joe with your girl and Fido! :)

But, don't you remember all the lesbian bars have closed? Lesbians don't go out.

As lesbians who don't go out much ourselves, we get it. That's what makes Roommates, a CommuniTea House so special. We are a primarily day-time establishment, offering a place for our community to connect during the day and offering ACCESSIBLE nightlife--in all meanings of the word. Simone has been producing Sapphic Speakeasy shows that start at 5:30pm, providing the perfect sweet spot to lesbians who want to party and go to occasional shows AND who want to have an early, cozy night in with their girlfriend. You can do it all at the Sapphic Speakeasy! Guaranteed to have you snuggling in bed no later than 10! :)

Thank you for considering helping us reach our goal and for helping us to build our sapphic, cozy community cafe of connection! :) We look forward to serving you at Roommates, a CommuniTea House!