With your help, we support hundreds of artists, makers, musicians and small businesses every day! Since our founding, we have paid out $18.9 million and counting to our vendors and bands.

Our mission is to support artists, makers & small businesses, inspire our community and enrich the lives of our team. We do this via our 6 Portland-area retail stores, our website, our internationally-distributed Record Label and community events.  

Tender Loving Empire was founded in 2007 by Brianne and Jared Mees as a passion project alongside their day jobs. They were makers and musicians themselves and inspired by creative friends. They wanted to help them, along with other artists and musicians, share their work and build & strengthen their community as a result. 

The record label came first, followed by a small consignment shop that featured albums from the label and the handmade goods of a handful of other makers. As TLE has grown, so has its ability to accomplish the mission in meaningful ways.

YOU ARE THE REAL HERO!!!

Loyal customers like you make our dream of an inspiring, creativity-supporting, people-first place possible. Every purchase at TLE allows hundreds of people to do what they love for a living and keep creating, sharing and inspiring. Together we can make our communities more vibrant, creative, compassionate and connected.

Stay in Touch & Support Our Mission

PRESS

  • NYLON MAGAZINE:

    “Portland’s Tender Loving Empire is a local record label, music store, gallery, and arts collective that does pretty much everything - and does it well.”

  • CARRIE BROWNSTEIN:

    “Dream Boutique: A husband and wife opened this record-label-consignment-shop-art-studio. It’s a creative hub where the owners are saying: Here are the things we love. We really want you to love them too.”

  • SUNSET MAGAZINE:

    “In a crowded field, Tender Loving Empire is perhaps the best example of a shop committed to local talent, with Portland-made music, art, and gifts.”