Business Sense

Rudy Volcano, owner of his eponymous store.

Gay Does Not Mean ‘Gay Only’ In Biz

By Sasha Austrie

The street here is busy. Throngs of people are marching across 37th Avenue in Jackson Heights. Even more people are sprinkled on the sidewalks browsing and bustling on their daily adventures. The avenue is crowded with quaint gift shops and clothing stores, but nestled between Moda, a clothing store and E & S Gifts sits a gift shop that is utterly unique.

Small wooden letters, spelling out Rudy Volcano on a black surface does not do justice to the experience. Opening the doors to 79-07 37th Ave., the air inside is cool and refreshing; the sound of birds chirping coupled with soft music sets the stage for a serene, tranquil experience. A row of red, yellow and blue paper parrots line the ceiling. The sweet smell of incense assails patrons’ nostrils. Large plants add to the décor and, the feeling of sitting by a brook beneath a canopy of trees welcomes customers to the Rudy Volcano experience.

Bright lights and merchandise from Volcano’s native Guatemala flood the oasis. Handmade embroidered shirts and pants line the walls; hats, bags, masks and sun faces are just some of the items filling the space.

A Volcano Grows

Volcano, who recently turned 40, has been a jack-of-all-trades since immigrating to the United States 25 years ago.

He was a cashier at a grocery store, a chef’s assistant, photographer, caterer, an insurance salesman, travel agent and for the past six years Volcano has owned the gift shop.

For Volcano, the gift shop is an expression of himself, his creative side. And that is what he uses to create a new window display everyday.

His customers are from all walks of life and that is just the way Volcano likes it. Volcano, who is gay, welcomes all his customers. Although he is gay, this store isn’t marketed as a gay store. He caters to no specific customer – they are all special and worth his full, undivided attention.

“This store is for every body, “Volcano said. “We have people here from every different country.”

His business partner, War Lobe, who is not gay, agrees. Although the customers are overwhelmingly women, “straight guys like pretty things too,” said Lobe who met Volcano in a market in Chichicastenango, Guatemala.

Volcano said he has customers who have heard about his store as far as Germany.

There is no banner in the window proclaiming, “I’m gay and proud.” No pink boas or elaborate headdresses. There are no stereotypically gay symbols, just quality materials.

“I don’t think of myself as gay or straight,” Volcano said. “I think of myself as a person.”

Sexual orientation notwithstanding Volcano is an ordinary business man. His goal, just like any other business owner, is to have a successful product and keep his customers wanting more.

Volcano’s gift shop in Jackson Heights.

Not An Exception

For many gay business owners this is more the norm than the exception. Although there are organizations like the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, which links gay businesses with gay consumers or assists in the cooperation between states and lesbian,gay, bisexual and transgender businesses.

Business owners such as Volcano want to keep their businesses geared to the main stream. This is not to say, however, that businesses that advertise to a particular demographic are wrong in the way they promote themselves.

“Being gay has never been an issue for me,” Volcano said – and it is not an issue for his customers.

Marie from Woodside said curiosity initially drew her to the gift shop, which could easily be confused with a chic boutique.

“I can sit here all day and listen to the music,” Marie said, adding that she comes into the store every week.

“He has the place fixed up real nice,” Marie said. “It is clean and it smells nice.”

The customers come for a bit of everything. To purchase quality merchandise that range from $2 to $5,000, to stroke Volcano’s silver backed Persian cat Prospero or just to take in the ambiance and the décor.

Making Strides

Although homosexuality is still a taboo subject in some parts of the United States, its acceptance has made leaps and bounds in the last 25 years. Gay-owned businesses are more prevalent and people are starting to take notice that gay culture is a force to be reckoned with.

Gay culture has evolved in the last two decades and it has intertwined itself with American culture. It went from being linked to the catastrophic AIDS epidemic, which was thought of as a gay borne disease, to a mainstream acceptance level where there are television programs, such as “Will and Grace” and “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,” with gay leads. Large corporations are also taking note and marketing their products to the gay demographic.

Businesses like General Motors are jumping into the foray of catering to gay consumers. According to Gaybusinessworld.com, GM “is taking things to the next level with custom-created ads showing a male couple together for the Cadillac DTS in a crowded gay parking lot.” More and more companies are recognizing the spending power of gay people and are tapping into the gay niche.

The International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association, or IGLTA, estimates that gay and lesbian customers spend $55 billion per year in North America for leisure and hospitality services.

Merchandise from Guatemala lines the shelves of Rudy Volcano.

A study published by the Washington based research firms Witeck-Combs Communications and Packaged Facts details the buying power of the gay demographic. According to the study, the American gay, lesbian and bisexual market is estimated at 15 million people over age 18. The estimated disposable personal income or buying power of the group for 2005 was pegged at $610 billion. The buying power of the gay demographic grew from an estimated $580 billion in 2004.

Volcano takes those numbers in stride, and said he has no plans to change his strategy or business sense just to make money. He wants all his customers – gay, straight, women and men – to feel comfortable walking into his oasis even though it is just to draw energy from the place.

Rudy Volcano’s is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Stop by sometime; you may be wonderfully surprised.