Black Unicorns exist in the Bay Area! Here’s how we define a Black Unicorn.
A Black business owner who:
1) has a “niche” business where there are very few people (black or white) in that industry
2) is the only Black person in the Bay Area in that industry
3) has a unique twist on a traditional business that no one else is doing
Here is an alphabetical listing of our current Black Unicorns with an explanation of why they were selected.
ALL ABOUT THE DOGUE
Lena Swann is the only Black owned dog grooming business in the Bay Area. The salon/spa offers a variety of grooming services including facials, hair dyeing, and pawdi-cures. She excels in service and style, gained a loyal clientele base with many traveling from outside of the Bay Area and even one from out of state. She’s outlasted the entry of corporate pet groomer Petco into the market surviving as the only dog groomer in Emeryville.
ARAWAK FARM
Founder Lloyd J. Vassell wants people to create healthy, spicy, and tasteful meals with quality flavors and unique combinations. The Vassell Foods’ Arawak Farm® brand is inspired by the founder’s Arawak Indian heritage.
All products offer fresh all-natural ingredients while being vegan, gluten-free, low sodium and low sugar. The Arawak Farm® brand of Pepper Sauces, Spicy Fruit Spreads and Dry Rubs are inspired by family traditions.
AUTOTRENDS BODY SHOP
This well established family owned business has been providing stellar auto repair services in a prominent Oakland location on Broadway since 1987.
Their AutoWatch system takes the customer experience to a whole new level by allowing you to view the repair progress on your vehicle online and share the experience. You can view pictures and receive automated email notifications of your vehicle and send them to yourself.
BIRDHAUS BEER GARDEN
Chef Kenny is co-owner and mastermind behind Birdhaus. While there are many Black-owned restaurants, this one has a unique niche. The restaurant is modeled after a German Beer Garden serving local craft beer and light snacks.
In the case of the Birdhaus, the light snacks are fried chicken sandwiches, a nod to African American cuisine. So it’s a fusion of German and African American influences.
BRUTHAS HONEY
Owner Marcus Simpkins, owns the Solano County Black-owned bee farm Bruthas Honey. His honey supplies local restaurants and stores throughout the Bay Area. Bruthas honey items range from honey, soaps and candles. In addition to purchases through their website, they can be found in North Bay farmers markets.
It is truly a special site to see a brother who is a beekeeper and manufactures their own products. Bruthas Honey is truly a special local company.
BUSTER’S SOUTHERN BARBEQUE
Charles Earl Davis (aka Buster) has owned and operated Buster’s Southern Barbeque since 1965 and has been located in Calistoga, CA since 2000, with recipes based on his family roots in Shreveport, Louisiana. His place also features bakery items, sides, live music and indoor/outdoor dining. In Calistoga, Buster’s is legendary.
Buster’s Original Southern BBQ Sauce has been such a highly requested item, upon popular demand Buster’s started bottling the sauce for customers to purchase and bring home. This BBQ sauce can also be ordered and shipped.
While there are many black-owned BBQ restaurants, this roadside BBQ joint is nestled amongst the vineyards of the countryside and the only black owned restaurant in the entire Napa Valley. Buster’s gift of sensitive taste buds and family recipes dating back to his great-grandfather has made his BBQ joint a staple in the heart of wine country.
DORIAN WEBB
Dorian is the only Black Bay Area jewelry designer whose line is carried at high-end retailers like Neiman Marcus, Saks, Henri Bendel and Barney’s. Her silver and 18-carat jewelry are available in rings, bracelets, earrings, brooches, and necklaces. Doran also creates fine art and notecards. She now sells jewelry directly from her website.
Dorian’s design aesthetic for her jewelry was influenced by her studies of architecture at Yale and from her times of living in Italy where she fell in love with Venetian glass.
ESSCENTS OF FLOWERS
Esscents of Flowers offers local shop & delivery services, wedding floral design services and event floral design services. Owner Ariana Marbly’s carefully crafted deliveries and handwritten notes spread love and empowerment to every recipient. Ariana’s East Oakland roots inspire her to create beauty and community through her business.
Her latest yellow rose campaign hand delivered over 700 yellow roses to her Oakland community to help promote healing and empowerment within the Black community. Whether it’s a personal gift or special event, Esscents of Flowers delivers in a class of its own.
FEELMORE
Who says adults can’t have toys? Feelmore Adult Gallery is a sex shop specializing in products to make your time under the sheets fun and satisfying. Owner Nenna Joiner has built the company from the ground up in an industry that is stigmatized in the business world.
Feelmore’s tagline “It’s More Than Just Sex” implies that the company stands for empowerment and energy that goes way beyond the bedroom.
FURTOGRAPHY PET PICS
Almost 40% of the households in California own at least one dog. This creates lots of business opportunities for pet services, yet there are not many Black businesses in this booming industry.
Judi Henderson saw an opportunity to use the photo studio in her other business, Mannequin Madness, to create a niche in pet industry. On the weekends the photo studio becomes a Furtography studio where people can bring their “fur baby” to get fast and fun “instaworthy” photos. The studio has amazing props and backgrounds that make the photos more engaging than what can be taken at home. For dog owners who have created an instagram account for their pet, creative photos are a necessity.
GREEN RELEAF COLLECTION
When cannabis was illegal, Blacks and Latinos were more likely than Whites to get prison sentences for selling and possessing weed. Now that it’s becoming legal in California and other places, they’ve been nearly shut out of the industry.
But Eve Robinson is one of the few blacks — and even fewer black women — with a cannabis business. She has a unique niche in that she focuses on edible and topical cannabis products for medicinal purposes. Their products are designed to provide natural and effective relief and pain management for many conditions including anxiety, joint pain, insomnia, neuropathy, etc. Shop online; delivery available.
Harpist From the Hood
How many of you have seen a person playing the harp? How many Black people have you seen playing a harp? That is why we consider Destiny Muhammad a Black Unicorn.
Destiny Muhammad, who dubbed herself “The Harpist from the Hood” performs in a cool and eclectic approach with a touch of storytelling to round out the sonic experience. The genre that can be described as ’Celtic to Coltrane’ will enhance any upcoming wedding, fundraiser or special event for your attendees. Destiny’s professional career includes headlining symphonies, concerts and festivals in addition to her ongoing Principal Harpist seats at various high profile orchestras. Destiny, the ’Soundsculptress’ can be booked through her Oakland based company, Harpist from the Hood Publishing & Media.
HARRIS HOISTING
Tana Harris has 30 years of experience in the construction industry, and has worked on a variety of large-scale projects including the Bay Bridge, Devil’s Slide, Chase Center, and Salesforce. Her entrepreneurial spirit, and devotion to building a legacy for her family, is what inspired her to create, Harris Hoisting in San Francisco.
Her company specializes in vertical construction projects that require various lift systems, including: cranes, man-lifts and elevators. From initial inspection to the end of each lift operation, their operators are professional, reliable, and uphold the highest level of safety standards, while maximizing productivity. In addition to greeting and transporting personnel and visitors, they provide hoisting equipment and materials for large scale construction projects.
HEAD OVER HEELS ATHLETIC ARTS
As a NCAA student athlete and one of a few black gymnasts in the 80’s and 90’s, Katreece Stone’s passion for athletics and youth has helped make Head Over Heels Athletic Arts a powerhouse athletic center in the East Bay Area community. Under Katreece’s leadership, the nonprofit organization has catapulted to widespread recognition with athletes winning at national, international and collegiate levels.
Head Over Heels’ mission is to step beyond basic skill attainment and holistically examine what it takes to be a well-rounded, successful athlete. The organization ensures black youth can participate in programs by partnering with local organizations and providing financial aid and scholarships to the local community.
JOY STREET DESIGN
Kelly Finley founded Joy Street design with a simple idea in mind — that everyone deserves to live in a home they love which can only be achieved when the space is personal, functional, and comfortable.
Kelly and her design team provide full service residential interior design from conception to installation. As a member of the Black Artist Design Guild, Kelly, alongside with other black professionals, is working to change systemic racism in the interior design industry. She also founded a nonprofit that provides interior design to shelters and homes of first responders.
MANNEQUIN MADNESS
Mannequin Madness is the only black-owned mannequin company in the United States. In their Oakland warehouse, they sell used mannequins that have been recycled from retail stores that close. They have a wide selection of new mannequins on their website including plus size and African American mannequins. They also rent out their warehouse for pop up events, photo shoots and video productions.
MIYAKO’s ICECREAM
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Miyako’s is a sweet tooth’s dream, with some sandwiches thrown in on the side. Owner Thomas “Tom” Bennett who opened the only Black owned ice cream shop in San Francisco runs the shop with his daughter Teresa. The small shop also makes a variety of sandwiches on the premises, along with hot dogs which can be washed down with their milkshakes or smoothies.
Enjoy an old fashioned Sundae, and take away your favorite ice cream flavor packed in a Chinese takeaway container. Miyako has a reputation for friendly service, and it’s a great place to grab an affordable lunch and dessert.
MULATTO MEADOWS
Many black youth have never ridden or even seen a horse up close and personal. Brianna Noble, founder and owner of Mulatto Meadows, is driven to change that by using horses as a medium to inspire positive futures. Her equestrian business is dedicated to expanding the accessibility of riding and horsemanship to communities historically excluded from the equestrian world.
Ms. Noble is passionate about introducing horsemanship and riding to youth of color and economically disenfranchised populations. Brianna received national visibility when she rode a horse to a Black Lives Matter protest in downtown Oakland.
NZILANI GLASS CONSERVATION
Nzilani Glass Conservation’s founder, Ariana Makau, was the second person in the world and the first woman to receive a master’s degree in stained glass conservation from the Royal College of Art in London. Equally comfortable on a job site, in a boardroom, or in a museum, Makau brings over 25 years of experience to her profession. Leading the glass preservation industry in employee safety,
Nzilani’s diverse crew follows the core values of “Be Safe. Have Fun. Do Excellent Work.”. One of the few companies in the United States qualified to conserve monumental historic glass works; Nzilani offers the same care and attention to stained glass windows in private homes.
POUND BIZNESS
While there are several black owned bakeries in the area, no one specializes
in so many varieties of pound cake. Owners Reggie Borders and Nicole Felix launched their pound cake business a few years prior to the COVID pandemic and now limit their sales to pick up, shipping & deliveries via their online business for now. The cakes are moist, rich and nostalgic! People have not let the pandemic keep them from ordering and enjoying their pound cakes as a sheltering-in treat.
RED BAY COFFEE
Red Bay Coffee Roasters was founded in 2014 by Keba Konte, a renowned artist and successful food entrepreneur with deep roots in the San Francisco Bay Area specialty coffee and hospitality industry. While there are other Black-owned coffee cafes and coffee roasters in the area, Red Bay is the only Black-owned coffee company in the Bay Area. Red Bay garnered special attention in 2020 by being chosen as one of Oprah’s Favorite Things.
WILLIAMS APPLIANCES
Don’t let the “Sanford and Son” appearance of the building cause you to hesitate doing business with this company. It is a place where you can get killer deals on refurbished home appliances. So while the outside might not be fancy, the merchandise top of the line.
They sell all the top brands of washers, stoves and refrigerators. And they provide repair services for any appliance that you purchase from them. Their skilled technicians have a total of over 75 years of experience.
If there is a Black business with a unique niche that you think should be included here, please send us an email at: [email protected]