14 Bay Area Black-Owned Businesses with Holiday Gifts You’ll Love
December 11, 2025
Get ahead of your holiday shopping at our third annual Black Holiday Market on Saturday, December 13! The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market will be expanded to include a festive holiday market, featuring 14 Bay Area Black-owned businesses offering a variety of food and craft items, including pectin-free jams and biscuit mix, spicy sauces and marinades, cosmetics made with natural ingredients, and much more.
This event is part of Pop-Ups on the Plaza, a series of events sponsored by the Port of San Francisco that highlights BIPOC entrepreneurs as part of our Building Equity program. We’ll have holiday crafts for the whole family and a visit from Black Santa, too! This Saturday, skip the big box stores with mass-produced items and pick up handcrafted, thoughtful gifts created by small businesses near you.
When Tina was planning her wedding, she decided to make her own cake even though she had little professional experience. She dedicated hours of her time to reading books, taking classes, and consulting professionals. With help from La Cocina’s Incubator Program, Tina formalized and launched A Girl Named Pinky. Now, she bakes custom cakes and desserts for special occasions all over the Bay Area.
Don’t miss: Cake pops, cookies, and other desserts
While she was studying at Cornell University, Jasmine Curtis quickly grew tired of products that left her hair dry and damaged. From her dorm room, she created hair products using edible ingredients to heal her hair and scalp. Her brand, Avocurl, provides handmade hair products infused with avocado. Find her hair products at In The Black marketplace in the Fillmore or online, and give the gift of natural hair care.
Don’t miss: Moisturizing avocado scalp oil
Belle Noire (French for “beautiful black”) is a boutique that connects Black women makers in Africa and from the diaspora with Bay Area locals. Nicole Williams offers a variety of handmade earrings, bracelets, and necklaces for anyone who loves colorful and unique accessories. Discover more of her intricate accessories on In The Black marketplace, and find a unique gift for the fashion lovers on your holiday list.
Don’t miss: Ankara fans and beaded cowrie-shell jewelry
Since 2010, Nicole Thrower, an Antioch native, has crafted handmade candles, body oil, and skincare products in a range of soothing scents. Her soy and crystal candles are perfect for everyone in need of some self-care this holiday season.
Don’t miss: Candles embellished with crystals
Ricquel Thomas has spent many days baking with her mother, a tradition that she carries into her business, Cali Sweet Cakes. Working with La Cocina, Ricquel found a way to channel her experience in culinary school and kitchens into running a business. At her booth, find comforting, homemade Southern desserts straight from her childhood. Pick up holiday-inspired pound cakes and bundt cakes for a showstopping dessert at your holiday dinner.
Don’t Miss: Holiday-inspired Eggnog Pound Cake, as well as signature cakes and cookies
Cianni Jackson, a San Francisco native and mother of three, started CIK Apparel in the summer of 2020. The letters “CIK,” a nod to her children, reflect the love for her family that drives her business. With a large line of eye-catching bags, jackets, and designed patches, CIK Apparel has a collection of gifts for the outspoken fashion enthusiasts on your list. Their products are also available through In The Black marketplace.
Don’t miss: Black Girl Magic-inspired apparel and accessories
After working at several fashion conglomerates, designer LaToya McInnis decided to start a brand that allowed her to express her own creativity and expertise. A member of In The Black marketplace, Cocoacentric provides sustainably made jewelry and accessories to uplift and empower women to feel beautiful. Find new golden statement pieces and accessories for the jewelry collectors in your life.
Don’t miss: Small-batch gold statement rings
Kim Leonard worked in the cosmetics industry for 16 years, where she eventually became uncomfortable with the amount of animal products and harmful chemicals she saw on ingredient labels. Her business, En Vie Naturals, focuses on natural and vegan beauty products. Find her unisex body butters and aromatherapy sprays online at the Mission Community Market (March-November) and at the In The Black marketplace year-round.
Don’t miss: Holiday Edition Butter-Me-Up! Body Butter and aromatherapy spray gift sets
Growing up, sisters Princess and Brownie Sims watched their Aunt Marian spend hours making batches of her famous barbecue sauce. In 2014, Brownie recreated the recipe, and soon after, Princess joined her sister in the kitchen. The Final Sauce specializes in barbecue sauces, spice rubs, hot sauces, vinaigrettes, and marinades that home cooks and foodies will love.
Don’t miss: Boxed sets with mild and spicy sauces, like their Original Barbecue Kit
For over a decade, Pearl Bond has designed and created greeting cards and other paper crafts. Greetings From Pearl combines traditional products with local artwork made by Black artists. Top your gifts with a handwritten note on a unique, handmade holiday card.
Don’t miss: Greeting and Christmas cards, gift card holders, and boxed card sets
In 2015, Vickie Brown founded Ice Body Skincare with her daughter, Deja. Through In The Black marketplace, Ice Body Skincare offers small-batch, plant-based skincare products that are safe and natural. Her body mousses, soaps, bath soaks, facial toners, and candles are luxurious gifts for anyone looking for sustainable skincare.
Don’t miss: Home wellness gift sets with aromatherapy bracelets, room sprays, and bath salts
Founded by wife-and-husband team Myesha and Mohammed Shuaibe, Melanin Gang crafts all of its sweatshirts, hoodies, and shirts in-house. Each piece of clothing features a one-sentence motivational quote designed to inspire, celebrate, and empower the Black community. Chill out over the holidays with matching loungewear for the whole family.
Don’t miss: Comfortable hoodies and sweatpants with inspiring quotes
Founded by jam maker MarQuita, That’s My Jam only uses simple and recognizable ingredients in its products, avoiding pectin, excess sugars, and thickeners. Their natural jams come in a variety of unique and bold flavors.
Don’t miss: Smoked cranberry chutney, spicy strawberry fig jam, and biscuit mix
Since 2002, Fillmore native Valerie Davison has sold hosiery at a range of markets in the Bay Area. Unlike the limited shade ranges sold at most stores, Val’s Hosiery offers stockings, pantyhose, and more in a variety of skin tones. Valerie hopes to offer hosiery, leggings, and other clothing that make customers feel powerful and comfortable in their skin.
Don’t miss: Tights, knee-highs, and leggings
Support these makers at Pop-Ups on the Plaza: Black Holiday Market tomorrow, December 13, from 9 am to 2 pm, in the south arcade of the Ferry Building. Pop-Ups on the Plaza is an initiative of Foodwise’s Building Equity program.
Topics: Small business