Donation protected
Hi! We are Yolanda (she/her, they/them) and Steph (she/her, they/them), and we are friends of Speakeasy Tattoo and Lizzie Renaud.
TL; DR? We are fundraising to finish long overdue renovations to the new Speakeasy Location, and you could win prizes by helping!
Those of you that know, know. But for those of you that don’t, Speakeasy Tattoo, owned and operated by Lizzie “The Legend” Renaud (LOL sorry Lizzie) is more than a tattoo shop.
Over the course of the pandemic, Speakeasy and it’s Twitch and other social media platforms have become a safe haven for Toronto and Toronto adjacent queers to express themselves and find like-minded individuals to kiki with during these quite shit times.
About a year ago, due to an extreme rise in rent costs, Lizzie was forced to move the physical shop location from Clinton and Harbord to a new space at 1110 Dundas West. While the new space is nice and bright, it lacks certain… character. The shop has been functioning as a space for artists to tattoo, drag queens, kings, and betweens to perform and earn income, artists to ART, and queers like ourselves to relax / work / play in a safe, and welcoming environment.
BUT! Speakeasy is in serious need of a facelift.
When we moved in a year ago, Lizzie’s renovation focus was on the tattoo room (so her staff could make money and clients could feel comfortable in a safe and appealing space) and the production room (so she and the large Twitch fam would have space to get creative and create lots of online, queer, fabulous nonsense).
When COVID restrictions tightened up last fall, revenue streams for the shop also tightened, and the front lobby has been neglected. The shop also lacks a sign to attract new customers; we often hear clients say “I didn’t know this was here! You should have a sign!” Well…
…here’s the part where we ask for your help.
Lizzie has done so much for the local queer community, not to mention she has hosted multiple fundraisers for queer organizations and struggling individuals. Now we want to give back.
We have a goal of raising about $10,000 to renovate the space, and bring back the steady post-COVID tattoo income the shop used to have!
Here’s a breakdown of where the money will go:
Building front :
Illuminated blade sign: $2495 + Tax
Sign bracket : $500 + Tax
Vinyl door lettering: $300 + tax
Installation: $1500 + tax
Electrician: $750 + tax
Lobby:
Sign painting on windows: $800
Wall paper: $754.92
Paint: ~$200
Business cards for the artists: $400 + tax
These costs will likely come to about $8000 CAD after tax.
Any money raised beyond that will go to:
New, more accessible chairs for clients in the waiting space. We currently have only folding chairs to offer. Price will be determined by funds available.
Shop repairs, no thanks to the landlords.
If any other costs come up during renovations, this page will be updated to be fully current and transparent!
RAFFLE:
Every $25 you donate will earn you a ticket for our raffle.
The winner will get
-$400 worth of tattooing at the shop
- An awesome speakeasy merch pack
- A month of subscription to the Twitch channel!
(If you want to enter the raffle but remain anonymous on the donation page, just screen shot your donation and send to us :) )
Miigwetch and we appreciate all donations, shares, and love!
Feel free to contact us regarding this fundraiser!
Yolanda & Steph
TL; DR? We are fundraising to finish long overdue renovations to the new Speakeasy Location, and you could win prizes by helping!
Those of you that know, know. But for those of you that don’t, Speakeasy Tattoo, owned and operated by Lizzie “The Legend” Renaud (LOL sorry Lizzie) is more than a tattoo shop.
Over the course of the pandemic, Speakeasy and it’s Twitch and other social media platforms have become a safe haven for Toronto and Toronto adjacent queers to express themselves and find like-minded individuals to kiki with during these quite shit times. About a year ago, due to an extreme rise in rent costs, Lizzie was forced to move the physical shop location from Clinton and Harbord to a new space at 1110 Dundas West. While the new space is nice and bright, it lacks certain… character. The shop has been functioning as a space for artists to tattoo, drag queens, kings, and betweens to perform and earn income, artists to ART, and queers like ourselves to relax / work / play in a safe, and welcoming environment.
BUT! Speakeasy is in serious need of a facelift.
When we moved in a year ago, Lizzie’s renovation focus was on the tattoo room (so her staff could make money and clients could feel comfortable in a safe and appealing space) and the production room (so she and the large Twitch fam would have space to get creative and create lots of online, queer, fabulous nonsense).
When COVID restrictions tightened up last fall, revenue streams for the shop also tightened, and the front lobby has been neglected. The shop also lacks a sign to attract new customers; we often hear clients say “I didn’t know this was here! You should have a sign!” Well…
…here’s the part where we ask for your help.
Lizzie has done so much for the local queer community, not to mention she has hosted multiple fundraisers for queer organizations and struggling individuals. Now we want to give back.
We have a goal of raising about $10,000 to renovate the space, and bring back the steady post-COVID tattoo income the shop used to have!
Here’s a breakdown of where the money will go:
Building front :
Illuminated blade sign: $2495 + Tax
Sign bracket : $500 + Tax
Vinyl door lettering: $300 + tax
Installation: $1500 + tax
Electrician: $750 + tax
Lobby:
Sign painting on windows: $800
Wall paper: $754.92
Paint: ~$200
Business cards for the artists: $400 + tax
These costs will likely come to about $8000 CAD after tax.
Any money raised beyond that will go to:
New, more accessible chairs for clients in the waiting space. We currently have only folding chairs to offer. Price will be determined by funds available.
Shop repairs, no thanks to the landlords.
If any other costs come up during renovations, this page will be updated to be fully current and transparent!
RAFFLE:
Every $25 you donate will earn you a ticket for our raffle.
The winner will get
-$400 worth of tattooing at the shop
- An awesome speakeasy merch pack
- A month of subscription to the Twitch channel!
(If you want to enter the raffle but remain anonymous on the donation page, just screen shot your donation and send to us :) )
Miigwetch and we appreciate all donations, shares, and love!
Feel free to contact us regarding this fundraiser!
Yolanda & Steph
Organizer
Steph Schwartz
Organizer
Toronto, ON