The Lemon Girls started with a booth at markets in San Antonio and have operated their brick-and-mortar since 2023. Credit: Instagram / @TheLemonGirlsSATX

Queer advocacy group the Human Rights Campaign has awarded San Antonio juice purveyors The Lemon Girls with its “Queer to Stay” grant as part of an effort to preserve LGBTQ-owned small businesses.

Located at 2214 N. Zarzamora, the Lemon Girls is a lesbian- and Latina-owned cafe serving up fresh lemonade, juices and coffee in one of San Antonio’s “gayborhoods.” The store is owned by married couple Maxine and Desirée Cofino, who started the business by selling the tropical concoctions at markets before opening a brick-and-mortar in 2023.

In addition to artisanal lemonade, the cafe hosts a variety of free LGBTQ-friendly events including poetry workshops, open mics, “Stitch & Bitch” events, gender neutral Latin dancing and meditation classes. The store also has a Little Free Library and is part of San Antonio’s Healthy Corner Store initiative.

The grant — which an HRC spokesperson said amounts to five figures — couldn’t come at a better time. The Lemon Girls last week issued a public plea for help to keep the lights on. In a December 10 Facebook post, the couple beseeched the community to show up for their business, adding, “We’re at a crossroads.”

 

“We are overwhelmed by the selection and the timing,” Maxine Cofino told the Current of the HRC grant. The couple applied for the grant — and about 30 others — this summer but hadn’t heard anything by November, which was unexpectedly slow.

The slow winter prompted the Cofinos to finally enlist public help. Just a few days later, they learned they were recipients.

“We are very excited to continue serving our community” Maxine Cofino said.

However, The Lemon Girls still need the public to rally behind the business.

“It couldn’t have come at a better time,” Maxine Cofino added. “But we still need community support to keep us going.”

The Lemon Girls are among 30 recipients of this year’s “Queer to Stay” grant, according to HRC. The winners span 19 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico.

HRC developed the initiative in 2020 to help LBGTQ+ businesses and counteract the ravages of the pandemic. With this year’s iteration, the initiative has passed $1 million in funds distributed to queer businesses in need.

Austin queer nightlife spot Cheer Up Charlie’s is also among this year’s recipients.

“LGBTQ+ people deserve welcoming, safe spaces that are owned and run by us,” Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson said in a prepared statement. “LGBTQ+ small-businesses not only provide needed services and employment opportunities for the LGBTQ+ community, they also send a strong signal that LGBTQ+ people belong everywhere, in suburbs, big cities and small towns all across America.”

Robinson continued: “As extremist politicians continue to try and take away our rights and push us back into the closet, these businesses stand as a shining reminder that when LGBTQ+ businesses thrive, America thrives.”

Maxine Cofino said the grant will help The Lemon Girls invest in the business and catch up with bills it fell behind on during the slowdown.

“It will help us breathe a little,” she added.

The Lemon Girls is open noon-8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

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This article appears in Dec 11-17, 2024.

Stephanie Koithan is the Digital Content Editor of the San Antonio Current. In her role, she writes about politics, music, art, culture and food. Send her a tip at skoithan@sacurrent.com.