Tender Loving Empire (often abbreviated "TLE") is an independent record label and local handicraft concept store based in Portland, Oregon.

[1] Carrie Brownstein, of the band Sleater-Kinney and show Portlandia, called TLE in The Wall Street Journal a “dream boutique”[2] for its collection of local artistry and music, both important to the indie rock culture of the Pacific Northwest.

[3] Brianne and Jared Mees met, as students of the evangelical Christian university Azusa Pacific, while studying abroad in Oxford and returned to LA together as a couple united by their many artistic talents.

It was a year later that they decided to establish a platform and storefront for both publishing small press books and selling their friend's records, calling it a tender loving empire.

[4] The first Tender Loving Empire storefront opened in June 2007 in Northwest Portland, selling music from the label as well as indie goods such as alternative comics, small press books,[6] and other handicraft items popularized by the DIY aesthetic.