Here & Always co-founders Zion Liu and Christian Leon talk No Manners through their online platform, giving back and championing representation.
In an economy oversaturated by fast production, inconsistent quality and high product turnover, Here & Always seeks to amiably disrupt traditional commercial patterns. Driven by empathy, co-founders Zion Liu and Christian Leon established a platform designed to uplift underrepresented voices and handcrafted goods entrepreneurs.
After more than a year dedicated to this project, Zion and Christian are finally seeing their efforts come to fruition. Countless hours of dedication have yielded the community, self-care and compassion that their artisan marketplace, Here & Always, represents. “It’s our reminder that the truest luxury is belonging—being seen, celebrated, and supported,” they tell No Manners Magazine. “That’s where love lives, and that’s where we were born.”
Here & Always: Reimagining Gifting with Purpose
When two passionate gift givers with corporate experience align on their passion for driving change, magic happens.
Christian and Zion originally sought to create their own business with a product that captured their shared love for gift-giving and home decor. The idea for Here & Always started with wrapping paper and packaging, something that could live on an existing forum.
However, during their search for a distributor, Christian and Zion witnessed firsthand that many major retailers fail to prioritize the human behind the product. They struggled to find a place that felt like an authentic, mutually beneficial home for their would-be creation.
As members of the Latin American diaspora and LGBTQ+ community, Zion and Christian recognize firsthand the marginalization experienced by small business owners and entrepreneurs. This knowledge, combined with their newfound understanding of the hurdles of digital commerce, inspired their next step. “Here & Always became bigger than just a product,” they share. “It became a home that could hold all the voices we wanted to uplift—a place built by us, for us, where the value flows back to the makers and the communities it came from.”
Here & Always is now a platform that enables artisans to celebrate their work and identities. Shoppers can order home decoration items, candles and other hand-crafted products from independent, design-led vendors. All the involved business owners are diverse: first-gen, immigrant, independent, queer, allies from the Asian American and Pacific Islander, Black and Latino communities. “Here, their stories are uplifted because they matter,” Zion and Christian tell No Manners. “That’s what ‘at-home luxury’ means to us. It’s not just nice things for your shelf. It’s care, made by real people; not mass retail.”
On Heritage and Community
“Born Where Love Lives” is the mission statement guiding Here & Always. From prioritizing a relationship with vendors to giving back with proceeds, Zion and Christian refuse to stray from this purpose. Instead, they use “love” as a principle, balancing business with humanity.
What best synthesizes this sentiment is the Discovery Set, an autobiographical gift set comprising three miniature candles. Crafted in collaboration with Ely Valdivia of Earthy Corazon, a queer and Latina-owned candle shop based in Los Angeles, the Discovery Set is a love letter to “growing up in Los Angeles as queer and Latino children of immigrants.”
Each of the three scents—Mezcal Moon, Juniper Jade and Chamomile Canyon—is an homage to Christian, Zion and Ely’s identities, as well as the family, friends and experiences that shaped them. “This is more than a candle collection,” Valdivia shared in a press statement. “It’s a love letter to home, heritage and the community that raised us. It’s activism through craft and community built with intention.”
After hand-delivering the first-ever Discovery Set gift boxes, Christian and Zion shared a feeling of accomplishment. Ely and Brenda from Earthy Corazon, Here & Always’ first artisan partners, were present to share the feat. “That was the moment it felt like we weren’t just launching a product: we were launching a ritual, a community. That changed everything for us.”
“The other piece that I think Earthy Corazon and Here & Always align on is just the community focus. Earthy Corazon is making beautiful intentional items, it’s doing that and using it to build up community and using their space as a place to uplift voices and help,” Zion says. “Ultimately, that’s what we’re trying to do, too. That intention came before the products in the store.”
The Discovery Set
HERE & ALWAYS
The Future Is Purposeful
Giving back meaningfully is at the core of Zion and Leon’s marketplace. Accordingly, they redirect 100% of profits from sales of the Discovery Set to community impact. As Here & Always continues to grow, both founders hope to expand this initiative to a wider range of their products. “The purpose behind this collection is to mark the start of our commitment to becoming a fully for-purpose business where everything we put into the world gives back. This is the beginning,” they tell No Manners.
With only two months left in the calendar year, Christian and Zion are already looking ahead to an ambitious 2026. From a business perspective, there will always be the difficult task of scaling without sacrificing your values. For Here & Always, growth is inherently linked with an expanding and ever-supportive network of creatives.
On top of introducing more product variety beyond candles and home goods, Christian and Zion are looking forward to bringing more international tastes. As they share, they aim to “bring more behind-the-scenes stories to life, and bring on more global artisans (while keeping our core U.S. base) so the marketplace truly reflects the world.”
Additionally, the duo is taking note of their climate impact and committing to measuring both environmental and social-impact goals. For now, 90% of artisans featured on Here & Always use recycled, refillable or low-waste materials. Next year, Christian and Zion aspire to strengthen their mission. “2026 is about scaling without sacrificing soul, deepening the meaning behind every product and partnership, and expanding the circle of who gets to make, to buy, to belong.”
Non nobis solum
The Latin phrase Non nobis solum, translated as “Not for ourselves alone,” reflects an ideal of selflessness, a call to consider others when we take action. It is a phrase that aptly describes Zion and Christian’s departure from traditional business models rooted in capital, rather than social gain.
In a world that is devolving into political extremism, mass technological optimization and fast-paced cycles of consumption, Here & Always provides artisans with a haven. In this space, where humanity thrives, hand-crafted articles and diverse stories are met with deep-seated appreciation.
“When we went into this, we wanted to make sure we found a way to be inclusive of all, because we’re not alone in this fight,” Christian says. “Together, we’re stronger, and that’s shown through history. Ultimately, that’s what we wanted to create: a space and a home that all of us can come together to create change.”
Discover Here & Always on their website and follow them on their official social media channels.
