Humboldt Park Shop Owner Advocates for Acceptance
and Diversity
One woman's quest to create a safe space led her further than she expected.
written by Marisa Sobotka
edited by Sofia Avendano
Soft music plays as the door opens to a colorful new world full of all things female and empowering. Humboldt House has built a comforting environment within the city that is “very feminist, political and sex-positive.”
Chicago native Claire Tibbs opened Humboldt House in May of 2013. The shop has evolved into a community store that features the works of local and up-and-coming artists in the city.
Tibbs, who graduated from Lake Forest College with an art degree, worked in the contemporary art and service industries. She wanted to meld the two into a more community-focused business that satisfied both her interests. As someone who had never held a corporate job or wanted a boss to report to, starting her own store seemed very “tangible” to her.
Before she opened Humboldt House, she lived down the street from its location at 1045 N. California Ave. She decided on the site of the store before she knew her exact plans for what the shop was going to be because of how much love she had for the neighborhood.
Over the years the house has turned into a community of local artists, especially those who are part of the feminist movement. Tibbs focuses on creating a welcoming atmosphere within Humboldt Park that welcomes all groups of people because of their already culturally and sexually diverse population.
“We try to uplift women, people of color and queer artists,” Tibbs says. “As long as we feel like we survive and they understand our art and we understand theirs, then we give them a lot of license to make whatever they are excited about making.”
Tibbs, who identifies as queer, has become a prominent local activist for LGBTQ representation within the feminist movement. For her, being queer isn’t just a sexual preference, it is a way of life.
“It is how I socialize, it is who my friends are, it is the way I envision the world and the world that I want to live in is non-binary and non-gendered,” Tibbs says.
Leah Ball, a queer feminist artist, has sold her sex-positive jewelry and homeware at the house for four years, and has become close with Tibbs throughout that time.
Ball ties her activism into her work by creating pieces that she says instigate and question societal issues. Some of her art includes objects that have pleasure and sex-positive imagery and messages on display. She says that when customers shop at the house and buy the art, they know that it is part of a larger discussion.
Since grade school, Tibbs says she considered herself a bit of radical. As she got older, she yearned for spaces with similar people, and those spaces were typically queer.
“I really loved recognizing that there was something different about me and the difference was really beautiful,” Tibbs says. “It gave me a thoughtful, political and smart community to throw myself in.”
Being a part of the LGBTQ community taught her that being queer is a political statement, and that idea has caused her to become an advocate and member of the feminist movement.
Tibbs’ inspiration dates all the way back to the abolitionists and suffrage movement. To her, feminism has relied heavily on women of color and queer women, who were the origin of organizing protests and fighting for equal rights.
She includes these groups and other underrepresented communities within the shop through creative displays, like a letter board that has words such as “Latinx, Trans, Queer, Disabled, Immigrant and Women,” with the word “power” displayed next to it.
“It hasn’t always been about white women voting or getting equal pay,” Tibbs says. “Going forward, I think intersexual feminism is the most important, including all the marginalized communities who are oppressed by a similar system.”
In today’s political climate, she believes LGBTQ representation is more important than ever, and while there has been more visibility, there are still many issues that need to be addressed.
One of the most important roles she has assumed within the feminist movement is becoming an ally. She says feminism is criticized for being “exclusive,” so she does her best to provide support for others within the movement.
She does this by doing her homework, marching alongside others in her community and participating in feminist talks and groups. For Tibbs, a huge part of being a feminist is not only marching and donating to causes, but also reading articles, hearing stories of trans, queer and people of color, doing research and being well rounded with their own “activist vocabulary and motives.”
Tibbs has participated in the recent Women’s March, Black Lives Matter Protests and immigration protests. She is also an advocate for Planned Parenthood and attends several Chicago-based feminist talks including “Slut Talks” and “Slo ‘Mo,” a queer dance party.
The Creative Director of No Small Plans Productions and Executive Producer and co-host of “Slo ‘Mo,” Kristen Kaza, has also worked to build a community of queer and marginalized people within Humboldt Park. She does so through her gallery space, “Reunion” and other parties/programs throughout the city. Kaza met Tibbs through events she had planned in years past.
Kaza believes that there are not many spaces or positions established for queer women, and feels it is her duty to create opportunities through the channels she has access to. Specifically, being a business owner; something she has in common with Tibbs.
“Claire does an excellent job of being bold and unabashed by her values and putting them out there as a business owner,” Kaza says. “That is the epitome of being a feminist; it is saying, ‘I am going to use my access and privilege to try and create an equal world.’”
When Tibbs is not protesting or attending feminist events, she maintains a safe space in her community for feminists and other Chicago residents through Humboldt House. Ball calls it “The Humboldt House of feels” because it is has become a “radically honest and open space” for her and customers to enter into.
“It gives me a sense of purpose to be here and it is a bit of a grounding space,” Tibbs says. “I hope artists, as well as our customers, find camaraderie here. When you are building a resistance, places like these are really important.”
As Tibbs walks throughout the shop, she explains that she has created a space that she feels at home in. She wants that to be shown through her products that advocate for diversity, including nipple shaped incense holders of all different skin tones and hand-made greeting cards for all sexual orientations. Surrounded by the work of over 80 artists at a time, bright colors, inviting home interiors and powerful femme art, she has created a new power within Humboldt Park.
"The world that I want to live in is non-binary and non-gendered."
Art hanging in The Humboldt House.
Photos by: Marisa Sobotka and Sofia Avendano