16 Bay Area Black-Owned Businesses to Support This Holiday Season
December 6, 2024
Tomorrow, the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market will be an expanded one-stop shop for the holidays with our Black Holiday Market, the last event in our 2024 Pop-Ups on the Plaza series. In the Ferry Building’s south arcade, 16 Black Bay Area entrepreneurs will offer a variety of unique seasonal gifts, such as sustainable hot sauces, handmade beaded jewelry, and candles poured with beeswax from local hives. Stock up on staples for your holiday feasts and collect gifts for everyone on your list, even the little ones!
Especially during the holidays, these local entrepreneurs go the extra mile to provide carefully crafted food items, apparel, and body care for you and your loved ones. Skip the big-box stores with mass-produced items and support small businesses instead, where you’ll find thoughtful and sustainable gifts, and your dollars go right back into our vibrant Bay Area community.
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. You can find her natural hair products at In The Black marketplace in the Fillmore or online. 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. Don’t miss: Ankara fans and beaded cowrie-shell jewelry
Based in Antioch, California, Nicole Thrower crafts handmade candles that are beautiful works of art, 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
Bruthas Honey is a bee product business based in Vallejo, California. Motivated to become a beekeeper in part because he wanted to see more beekeepers of color, owner Marcus Simpkins supplies nearby restaurants and stores with locally harvested honey, along with popping up at Northern California farmers markets. Fresh jars of honey, beeswax lip balms, and honey sticks make for sweet stocking stuffers. Don’t miss: Honey beeswax candles
A participant in Mandela Partners’ Food Business Pathways program, Chef Sarah Germany uses surplus produce grown on local farms in her seasonal hot sauces, pickles, jams, salts, and seasonings. By saving food that would otherwise go to waste, these sustainable condiments promote environmental justice and community health. Give your loved ones the gift of flavor (and heat!) with a savory boxed gift set. You can also find Chef Sarah at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market on Saturdays. Don’t miss: Mini hot sauce or Bloody Mary kits
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
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: Scrapbook-style cards for every occasion
Founded by Dr. Thomishia Booker, Hey Carter! is a children’s brand that centers around creating important representation for Black children and elevating Black Joy. Their picture books include titles like The ABCs of Black Girl Hair Love and Brown Boy Joy. Pick up a few books and give an educational and affirming gift for the little ones in your life, and discover more of their products, including children’s apparel, at In The Black marketplace. Don’t miss: “Brown Boy Joy” and “Black and Proud” t-shirts
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
In Real Life Apparel is based out of Oakland, California, where its founder, Meschelle Cockerham, was born and raised. Her clothing line features slogans meant to motivate and inspire confidence. See the full line on their website and on In The Black marketplace. Don’t miss: “Me vs. Me” jackets, hats, and workout apparel
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. Don’t miss: Comfortable loungewear with inspiring quotes
Sisters Natasha Cherubin and Deborah Lewis, like many Black women, grew up without the opportunity to fully appreciate and embrace their coily hair texture. Their brand, Nade Koils, offers hair care products that use sea moss gel (which naturally preserves moisture), oils, and extracts to promote healthy hair. Don’t miss: Sea Moss Curl Enhancing Smoothie
Founded by jam maker MarQuita, That’s My Jam only uses simple and recognizable ingredients in their 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 and spicy strawberry fig jam
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. Don’t miss: Limited release seasonal gift sets, like their Coffee Lovers Kit
Support these makers at Pop-Ups on the Plaza: Black Holiday Market tomorrow, December 7, in the south arcade of the Ferry Building. Pop-Ups on the Plaza is a series of events celebrating Bay Area Black entrepreneurs, including businesses in Foodwise’s Building Equity program. Pop-Ups on the Plaza is a Port sponsored event brought to you by Foodwise. This program is proudly funded in partnership with the San Francisco Human Rights Commission’s Dream Keeper Initiative. Additional support is provided by the Ferry Building.