Shop Golden Gems and Live Life Unapologetically

“Take a deep breath. Remember who the hell you are. You are a gem.”

Golden Gems, a St. Louis-based lifestyle brand for girls, gays and theys, inspires customers to live unapologetically.

Sisters Amanda Helman and Susan Logsdon believe that there’s a badass inside of everyone, and they say as much with mantras like “Be the Girl who Decided to Effing Go for It,” which decorate everything from keychains to notebooks and banners to mugs at their two brick-and-mortar locations.

“The phrases on our products are messages that we need to hear,” Logsdon explains. “They might be messages that we didn’t hear as girls, or they might be messages that we recite as women. Our products remind you to take up space and live life on your own terms.”

Both Helman and Logsdon have artistic backgrounds – and only creative bones in their bodies! The former crafted inspirational and impactful displays at Anthropologie before helping Kelley Barr open Civil Alchemy, a bustling boutique in Webster Groves, while the latter worked as a freelance graphic designer for 10 years. They also ran their own Etsy stores before launching Golden Gems in 2019.

“We’re always making something,” Logsdon explains. “At one point, we had separate Etsy shops – Amanda focused on art prints and enamel pins while I worked with applique fabrics – but it made more sense to join forces.”

Now, the dynamic duo designs all the products at Golden Gems, and they make many, including black, white and pink banners that empower readers to “Make Cool Shit – Take No Shit” and “Don’t Let the Bastards Get You Down.”

They also hand-pour perfumes reminiscent of wildflower fields, dark tobacco and sweet citrus, among other aromas, to help you define your signature scent. Even after you’ve finished the fragrance, you’ll want to keep the bottle – Helman and Logsdon adorn the labels with elegant line drawings of flower gardens, forested hills, sensuous snakes and fierce lions, which surround descriptions such as that of Lionheart, a fresh and earthy scent for the beautiful dreamer, the risk-taker, running into the face of danger.

“From T-shirts to stickers, our products subtly remind you to be bold or candidly remind people that you’re here,” Helman says, “and with everything we make, we want to celebrate fun.”

Whether you shop at the Golden Gems flagship on Locust Street or the dazzling storefront at City Foundry STL, you’ll certainly have fun. The entire team works diligently to create spaces where everyone feels welcome, included and celebrated. “When you walk through the doors, you’ll be greeted by someone who is genuinely happy that you’re there,” Logsdon says. “I think that level of human connection and customer service has become something of a lost art.”

Once you’ve visited Golden Gems, you can understand why customers say they can hang out there all day. Using that feedback to fuel a new idea, Helman and Logsdon opened Hidden Gems, a disco dive bar, next to their store on Locust Street a little more than a year ago.

In a pretty pink booth, under 300 disco balls, guests can sip craft cocktails with friends. Mixing raspberry vodka, elderflower liqueur, lavender syrup and lemon juice, Gutsy Little Lady is a menu staple, while disco buckets and signature shots such as Shine, Bitch, which features edible glitter, are perfect for special occasions. “We create themed cocktails for events, too,” Logsdon explains. “It’s one way to make the experiences more immersive.”

Depending on your vibe, you can stay put or break out of your booth and hit the dance floor, pile into the photo booth or have a quiet conversation in the lofted lounge.

“You’re not going to find a lot of places like Golden Gems and Hidden Gems in the Midwest,” Logsdon says. “When we go out of town for tradeshows, we love to represent St. Louis. We have to spread the word that St. Louis is cool!”

Golden Gems partners with organizations to raise awareness of different issues that affect the women and LGBTQIA+ community, too. “Whether we’re raising money for different organizations or donating our time and resources to important causes, we want to be involved in strengthening our community,” Helman says.

“We’ve also found that our events really resonate with the community,” Logsdon adds. “We regularly invite people into our spaces, where they have permission to be themselves.”

Beginning on Tuesday every week, Hidden Gems hosts a series of over-the-top events – think karaoke, themed trivia, drag bingo, dance parties and DJ nights. Helman and Logsdon draw a lot of inspiration from traditional tattoos, so they’ve even brought tattoo artists to events where they were surprised to see so many guests get their first ink.

“It might be your first tattoo or your first drag show – it doesn’t matter,” Logsdon says. “Golden Gems and Hidden Gems make these experiences accessible and inclusive. You’re never going to feel out of place here.”