My name is Lara Americo and I’m a transgender activist, artist and musician living in Charlotte, NC. I’m passionate about creating inclusive, positive spaces for communities, which I’ve done through my work with The Freedom Center for Social Justice Center and other local organizations supporting queer and trans people of color for the past three years.
On top of that, I’m a huge fan of reading and writing comics. Sequential art tells stories in a way that books can’t. In graphic novels and comic books, you have an intersection of art and writing that you don’t see in any other medium. Something powerful happens in that short moment when you see the expression on a character’s face and you read their dialog. You can feel what the character is thinking. You become the character. I want to share this feeling with everyone.
The intersection of my community work and love of comics got me thinking: How many people who are queer or trans (or are bad ass cis accomplices) love comics and inclusive storylines but feel like they can’t share it with anyone in real time?
In Charlotte, there aren’t enough inclusive in-person spaces. And there’s a large population of underserved LGBTQ people: Nearly 90,000 LGBTQ people live in the Charlotte metro area, and 3.3 percent of people in North Carolina identify as gay, lesbian or transgender. That’s only the people who feel safe enough to publicly identify themselves in these surveys (via Gallup and UCLA Williams Institute Survey).
Even though we’re considered a metropolitan city and have this population, there aren’t enough inclusive spaces. Charlotte doesn’t have a LGBTQ Community Center. Charlotte “gayborhoods” are disappearing because of gentrification. Local comics events are generally geared towards cisgender white men and other communities are an afterthought.
The reality is: We won’t have any inclusive spaces unless we create them for ourselves.
This is why I’ve created Comic Girl Coffee & Books, a space to read, share comics, build community, and drink fresh, local coffee. There will also be food for sale along with books and other products. I’ve found a space for the coffee shop, but I need an extra push to officially launch it!
I’m looking to fund initial start-up costs. This includes licensing and business fees, improvements on the space, decorations and furniture, initial inventory and equipment. Your contribution will also fund the following items to get this place opened:
My plan is to open two pop-up locations in Petra’s Piano Bar and Advent CoWorking as a way to subsidize funding for a permanent location at Area 15. Area 15 is a DIY, small business incubator with a reputation for developing businesses. I plan to open my first location here as long as I can pay the security deposit and get the above items.
Let’s make this happen! Comic Girl Coffee & Books will be the place for people who want to laugh and share their love of comics and inclusive stories over coffee. Building community in Charlotte is crucial, and I’d love for us to do that together.
If you have any other questions about this project, please reach out to me. I appreciate your contribution and can’t wait to welcome you into Comic Girl Coffee & Books once I reach my goal!