February is Black History Month, and to show our support and solidarity with the excellence of the San Francisco Bay Area's extensive Black-owned businesses, we have provided a diverse list of some to become familiar with all month long and beyond, from nourishing coffee shops, to historic bookstores, empowering beauty suppliers, and more.
See also: Oakland's Inaugural Poet Laureate, Ayodele Nzinga, On Blackness, Existence, And The Creative Process
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1415 Folsom St / (415) 355-1415 / Website
Sextant Coffee in the heart of the Folsom District is a highly popular first-generation Ethiopian-founded company by Kinani Ahmed that carefully sources their distinctly flavorful beans from African farmers. By also precisely roasting them in-house with their cutting-edge equipment, Sextant delivers coffee that is subtly carmelized, complex, and full of adventurous spirit.
View this post on Instagram
540 9th St, Oakland / (510) 628-0184 / Website
This Oakland favorite is a black-and-queer-owned institution for all things healthy, holistic, and naturally delicious! With a devoted appreciation towards utilizing fresh, organic, and nutritious ingredients, this is a radiantly bright shop for the most refreshing smoothies and acai bowls.
View this post on Instagram
3900 Smith St, Union City / (510) 969-2739 / Website
In Union City, this hidden gem has truly become an East Bay household name dur to their irresistible pastries, inventively playful coffee concoctions, and artfully chill atmosphere to hang out with the local community in. Step in and feel right at home with their family-style service and be sure to sip on their popular "The Yonce" with caramel and cold brew, or their "Ice Loves Coco" generously topped with toasted coconut shavings!
View this post on Instagram
1 Ferry Building, Shop 43 / Website
With a prestigious list of ever-expanding locations, Red Bay Coffee is unequivocally Bay Area. Since 2014, this renowned Black-owned business by Keba Konte has been providing "Beautiful Coffee To The People," all while also empowering diversity and culture through their coffee sourcing, grassroots events, and uplifting local leaders of color from historically marginalized communities.
View this post on Instagram
315 S 1st St, San Jose / (408) 564-6617 / Website
Nirvana Soul is quite literally a family affair in San Jose- being founded by sisters Jeronica and Be’Anka! This sleek and vibrantly chic beverage spot is effortlessly Instagrammable from all angles, especially when paired with their outstandingly creative drinks like their Laid-Back Lemon Cayx with cake batter and apple ginger, or their mind-blowing Sweet Potato Pie Latte.
View this post on Instagram
101 Hyde St / (800) 408-1803 / Website
Boug Cali is the brilliantly successful passion project by visionary Chef Tiffany Carter that showcases traditional Cajun and Creole comfort classics with a trendy Californian elevation. From diligent development in the La Cocina incubator program, to now being a highly-demanded staple in the Chase Center, her ingenious Southern-Californian fusions of the Fat Tuesday Po’Boy or Cali Shrimp Tacos are as inspiring as they are filling.
View this post on Instagram
Gumbo Social is a pop-up that can be tracked down all around the Bay's notable farmer's markets. From the Outer Sunset to the waterfront at the Foodwise Ferry Plaza market, Chef Chef Dontaye's rich Chicken Sausage Gumbo or his grandfather-inspired Texas-style Red Beans and Rice with duck confit is a homestyle taste of the south no matter where you are.
See also: Best SF Bay Area Restaurants For New Orleans Soul Food
View this post on Instagram
2243 Mission St / (415) 960-3406 / Website
In the Mission, Bissap Baobab is a lively community hotspot that's both a casual bistro with authentic Senegalese cuisine, and a fun dancehall club with the hottest Afrobeat jams. This is a fantastic audio and culinary experience that is enjoyable at any hour, especially with their inventive Afro Tacos and cocktails to keep you hydrated as you dance without judgment all night long.
See also: Best SF Bay Area Nigerian Restaurants
View this post on Instagram
500 Lake Park Ave, Oakland / (415) 707-0284 / Website
Right by the scenic Lake Merritt is Vegan Mob, a healthy comfort food stop that's heartwarming in more ways than one. Not only is Chef Toriano Gordon's ingenious plant-based renditions of traditional soul food absolutely nourishing, but his company also aims to help local at-risk and formerly incarcerated youth, all while promoting guilt-free alternatives.
View this post on Instagram
1130 4th St / (415) 655-9344 / Website
In Mission Bay, House of Tadu is a bright and modern spot for affordable and delicious Ethiopian favorites. With several outstanding vegetarian options along with their plates of high-quality meats, this is a wonderfully kind addition to the waterfront neighborhood for a fast and price-friendly taste of Eastern Africa.
See also: The Best Ethiopian Restaurants In The Bay Area
Style & Beauty
View this post on Instagram
Sparked from a need to provide her son more natural products, Efiya created Iyoba- a Black woman-owned and Oakland-based beauty company that is now among the most trusted choices for environmentally conscious products. Everything is handmade, organic, and free of harsh sulfates and other chemicals, ensuring revitalizing artisanal care for your hair, skin, and home that is both impressively personalized and sustainable.
View this post on Instagram
1346 Polk St / (415) 757-0281 / Website
For a talented and genuinely friendly choice to get a clean and personalized haircut, Fresh Blades Barbershop is modern, sharp, and classy. Since 2017, this Nob Hill landmark has been inclusively gifting their customers with the most refined cuts of tapers, fades, beard care, and everything in between. No matter what you're looking for, this fierce barbershop will deliver it with kind finesse.
View this post on Instagram
For all of your party-planning and event decor needs, local superstar Lea Stafford will fulfill it with a careful eye and knowledgeable experience that passionately goes above and beyond. Hailing from Oakland and having over 18 years of expertise in precise planning, hospitality, and interior design, Lea Stafford is highly-revered for her natural talent to craft memorable moments in gorgeously magical settings.
View this post on Instagram
294 N Capitol Ave, San Jose / (408) 259-9656 / Website
As the oldest African American-owned salon and beauty store, this San Jose store carries the most expansive selection of diverse highest-quality wigs and specialty Black haircare. Consistently keeping up with the latest haircare styles and options, their kind care and helpful service will have you positively walking out as a new trendsetter.
Shopping
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828 Innes Ave / (415) 499-2328 / Website
With a fashionable reputation as the “Nordstrom of cannabis,” this Black and woman-owned dispensary is luxuriously glamorous, beautifully decorated, and fabulously delivers curated care in both thorough service and product inventory. Also devoted to their community, this lavish lounge sources all local selections and also works to promote the city's cannabis equity program.
View this post on Instagram
3900 Martin Luther King Jr Way, Oakland / (510) 652-2344 / Website
Oakland’s Marcus Bookstore is the oldest independent Black bookstore in America, serving as an esteemed literary institution in Oakland for over 60 years. An enduring pantheon for events and books new and classic proudly advocating culture and empowerment, this storied touchstone has hosted a venerable list of luminaries and activists like Rosa Parks, Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, and more.
View this post on Instagram
2355 Broadway suite 1, Oakland / (510) 467-0432 / Website
Taylor Jay in Oakland is a go-to boutique for stylish apparel that is effortlessly versatile, sustainable, and comfortable. Elevated comfort is what this inclusive company values, with their diverse selection of sizes and thoughtfully-flattering forms and textiles ffulfilling not only their mission to be environmentally conscious, but also their encouraging feminist mantra of "We Are Every Woman."
View this post on Instagram
1700 Center St, Oakland / Website
Black and woman-owned by Kalkidan Gebreyohannes and J’Maica Roxanne, Blk Girls Green House is a positively uplifting West Oakland-based plant shop that instantly transports you to a lush oasis of living art. Collaborating with strong partnerships from fellow Black-owned creators, every inch of their impressive 1,500-square-foot open-air store is brimming with vibrant foliage, artistic home decor, handmade apparel, and a charming sense of care that promises to illuminate your home with joy.
These magnificent Black-owned businesses are truly must-visit landmarks in our SF Bay Area all year-round!
See also: Chef Mimi Discusses The Black Food & Wine Experience
Photography by: Courtesy of Thirdman/Pexels
February is Black History Month, and to show our support and solidarity with the excellence of the San Francisco Bay Area's extensive Black-owned businesses, we have provided a diverse list of some to become familiar with all month long and beyond, from nourishing coffee shops, to historic bookstores, empowering beauty suppliers, and more.
See also: Oakland's Inaugural Poet Laureate, Ayodele Nzinga, On Blackness, Existence, And The Creative Process
View this post on Instagram
1415 Folsom St / (415) 355-1415 / Website
Sextant Coffee in the heart of the Folsom District is a highly popular first-generation Ethiopian-founded company by Kinani Ahmed that carefully sources their distinctly flavorful beans from African farmers. By also precisely roasting them in-house with their cutting-edge equipment, Sextant delivers coffee that is subtly carmelized, complex, and full of adventurous spirit.
View this post on Instagram
540 9th St, Oakland / (510) 628-0184 / Website
This Oakland favorite is a black-and-queer-owned institution for all things healthy, holistic, and naturally delicious! With a devoted appreciation towards utilizing fresh, organic, and nutritious ingredients, this is a radiantly bright shop for the most refreshing smoothies and acai bowls.
View this post on Instagram
3900 Smith St, Union City / (510) 969-2739 / Website
In Union City, this hidden gem has truly become an East Bay household name dur to their irresistible pastries, inventively playful coffee concoctions, and artfully chill atmosphere to hang out with the local community in. Step in and feel right at home with their family-style service and be sure to sip on their popular "The Yonce" with caramel and cold brew, or their "Ice Loves Coco" generously topped with toasted coconut shavings!
View this post on Instagram
1 Ferry Building, Shop 43 / Website
With a prestigious list of ever-expanding locations, Red Bay Coffee is unequivocally Bay Area. Since 2014, this renowned Black-owned business by Keba Konte has been providing "Beautiful Coffee To The People," all while also empowering diversity and culture through their coffee sourcing, grassroots events, and uplifting local leaders of color from historically marginalized communities.
View this post on Instagram
315 S 1st St, San Jose / (408) 564-6617 / Website
Nirvana Soul is quite literally a family affair in San Jose- being founded by sisters Jeronica and Be’Anka! This sleek and vibrantly chic beverage spot is effortlessly Instagrammable from all angles, especially when paired with their outstandingly creative drinks like their Laid-Back Lemon Cayx with cake batter and apple ginger, or their mind-blowing Sweet Potato Pie Latte.
View this post on Instagram
101 Hyde St / (800) 408-1803 / Website
Boug Cali is the brilliantly successful passion project by visionary Chef Tiffany Carter that showcases traditional Cajun and Creole comfort classics with a trendy Californian elevation. From diligent development in the La Cocina incubator program, to now being a highly-demanded staple in the Chase Center, her ingenious Southern-Californian fusions of the Fat Tuesday Po’Boy or Cali Shrimp Tacos are as inspiring as they are filling.
View this post on Instagram
Gumbo Social is a pop-up that can be tracked down all around the Bay's notable farmer's markets. From the Outer Sunset to the waterfront at the Foodwise Ferry Plaza market, Chef Chef Dontaye's rich Chicken Sausage Gumbo or his grandfather-inspired Texas-style Red Beans and Rice with duck confit is a homestyle taste of the south no matter where you are.
See also: Best SF Bay Area Restaurants For New Orleans Soul Food
View this post on Instagram
2243 Mission St / (415) 960-3406 / Website
In the Mission, Bissap Baobab is a lively community hotspot that's both a casual bistro with authentic Senegalese cuisine, and a fun dancehall club with the hottest Afrobeat jams. This is a fantastic audio and culinary experience that is enjoyable at any hour, especially with their inventive Afro Tacos and cocktails to keep you hydrated as you dance without judgment all night long.
See also: Best SF Bay Area Nigerian Restaurants
View this post on Instagram
500 Lake Park Ave, Oakland / (415) 707-0284 / Website
Right by the scenic Lake Merritt is Vegan Mob, a healthy comfort food stop that's heartwarming in more ways than one. Not only is Chef Toriano Gordon's ingenious plant-based renditions of traditional soul food absolutely nourishing, but his company also aims to help local at-risk and formerly incarcerated youth, all while promoting guilt-free alternatives.
View this post on Instagram
1130 4th St / (415) 655-9344 / Website
In Mission Bay, House of Tadu is a bright and modern spot for affordable and delicious Ethiopian favorites. With several outstanding vegetarian options along with their plates of high-quality meats, this is a wonderfully kind addition to the waterfront neighborhood for a fast and price-friendly taste of Eastern Africa.
See also: The Best Ethiopian Restaurants In The Bay Area
Style & Beauty
View this post on Instagram
Sparked from a need to provide her son more natural products, Efiya created Iyoba- a Black woman-owned and Oakland-based beauty company that is now among the most trusted choices for environmentally conscious products. Everything is handmade, organic, and free of harsh sulfates and other chemicals, ensuring revitalizing artisanal care for your hair, skin, and home that is both impressively personalized and sustainable.
View this post on Instagram
1346 Polk St / (415) 757-0281 / Website
For a talented and genuinely friendly choice to get a clean and personalized haircut, Fresh Blades Barbershop is modern, sharp, and classy. Since 2017, this Nob Hill landmark has been inclusively gifting their customers with the most refined cuts of tapers, fades, beard care, and everything in between. No matter what you're looking for, this fierce barbershop will deliver it with kind finesse.
View this post on Instagram
For all of your party-planning and event decor needs, local superstar Lea Stafford will fulfill it with a careful eye and knowledgeable experience that passionately goes above and beyond. Hailing from Oakland and having over 18 years of expertise in precise planning, hospitality, and interior design, Lea Stafford is highly-revered for her natural talent to craft memorable moments in gorgeously magical settings.
View this post on Instagram
294 N Capitol Ave, San Jose / (408) 259-9656 / Website
As the oldest African American-owned salon and beauty store, this San Jose store carries the most expansive selection of diverse highest-quality wigs and specialty Black haircare. Consistently keeping up with the latest haircare styles and options, their kind care and helpful service will have you positively walking out as a new trendsetter.
Shopping
View this post on Instagram
828 Innes Ave / (415) 499-2328 / Website
With a fashionable reputation as the “Nordstrom of cannabis,” this Black and woman-owned dispensary is luxuriously glamorous, beautifully decorated, and fabulously delivers curated care in both thorough service and product inventory. Also devoted to their community, this lavish lounge sources all local selections and also works to promote the city's cannabis equity program.
View this post on Instagram
3900 Martin Luther King Jr Way, Oakland / (510) 652-2344 / Website
Oakland’s Marcus Bookstore is the oldest independent Black bookstore in America, serving as an esteemed literary institution in Oakland for over 60 years. An enduring pantheon for events and books new and classic proudly advocating culture and empowerment, this storied touchstone has hosted a venerable list of luminaries and activists like Rosa Parks, Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, and more.
View this post on Instagram
2355 Broadway suite 1, Oakland / (510) 467-0432 / Website
Taylor Jay in Oakland is a go-to boutique for stylish apparel that is effortlessly versatile, sustainable, and comfortable. Elevated comfort is what this inclusive company values, with their diverse selection of sizes and thoughtfully-flattering forms and textiles ffulfilling not only their mission to be environmentally conscious, but also their encouraging feminist mantra of "We Are Every Woman."
View this post on Instagram
1700 Center St, Oakland / Website
Black and woman-owned by Kalkidan Gebreyohannes and J’Maica Roxanne, Blk Girls Green House is a positively uplifting West Oakland-based plant shop that instantly transports you to a lush oasis of living art. Collaborating with strong partnerships from fellow Black-owned creators, every inch of their impressive 1,500-square-foot open-air store is brimming with vibrant foliage, artistic home decor, handmade apparel, and a charming sense of care that promises to illuminate your home with joy.
These magnificent Black-owned businesses are truly must-visit landmarks in our SF Bay Area all year-round!
See also: Chef Mimi Discusses The Black Food & Wine Experience
Photography by: Courtesy of Thirdman/Pexels
