It’s hard to know how to start an article these days without saying something like “these are strange, unprecedented times.” Because they truly are. As the Bay Area shelters in place, so many of our beloved independent retail stores have shuttered to obey the city order and help prevent the spread of Covid-19. Any business that’s not deemed essential, such as grocers, hardware stores, and banks (full list here), has shut their doors to customers until April 7 at the earliest.
The impact this crisis will have on our local economy is hard to fathom. The good news is that there are ways we can all support the small businesses that make our city and region so special — and it’s our duty to go out of our way to do so if we have the means.
The community has already stepped up, showing an outpouring of love and turning that into action. A group of helpful citizens even created this shared document with a running list of how to buy from and support local establishments, many of which are getting creative and rolling out increased focus on curbside pickup and online orders while others are selling merchandise and gift cards to help them get by.
We at The Bold Italic encourage you to adopt a pledge to #BuyBayArea as much as possible while this crisis unfolds. To start, we suggest that you:
- Make a list of all of your favorite local shops.
- Go to their websites (or check this document) to see if they take online orders.
- If they do, order things! Something for yourself to pass the time? A birthday gift? Early Christmas shopping?
- If they don’t (or even if they do) consider buying a gift card to help them earn money now.
- Follow them on Instagram and Twitter to see if they’re setting up GoFundMe or Venmo accounts to pay their employees and make rent, and contribute if you can. And while you’re at it, leave them a comment to show support.
We wanted to do our part to help you give your money to these hardworking stores, so we put together 20 ideas (plus a bonus!) for shopping locally online and hope it will inspire you to get that credit card out if you’re so inclined. Have other suggestions? Tag @thebolditalic on Twitter and Instagram so we can share.
1. Buy books from local shops, not Amazon
One benefit of staying at home is having more time for activities you may not have had before, like reading a good book. It’s tempting to go to good old Amazon.com, where (let’s admit it) you may find the cheapest price and fastest delivery (although, maybe not). Please do not give in to this temptation. Several local bookstores are taking online orders and need your support.
We recommend searching for your favorite one through bookshop.org to see if they take online orders. Some that do include Alley Cat Bookstore & Gallery in the Mission (browse their staff picks) as well as Dog Eared Books. East Bay Book Sellers in Oakland is offering delivery via Media Mail free of charge. “Find time to laugh. Resist the twitch to scroll endlessly through doom & gloom,” the bookstore posted on Twitter.
To complete your new shelter-in-place reading attire, may we also suggest these totes from Adobe Books or this cap from Book/Shop in Oakland?
2. Speaking of books, you probably need a new cookbook
Another activity you’ll be doing more of: cooking. And don’t you need some inspiration? Luckily, Omnivore Books, the precious cookbook store in Noe Valley, takes online orders. We suggest grabbing local cookbook author Bryant Terry’s new cookbook Vegetable Kingdom for some healthy options or finally purchasing Samin Nosrat’s Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat and learning cooking basics. (Omnivore even has signed copies.)
3. It’s definitely time for wine
Yes, you can get wine at grocery stores, but why not also support local wineries and wine shops? You need all the wine you can get. Donkey & Goat in Berkeley, which offers 30 plus types of vino, is still doing pickup and curbside delivery. You can also order from Rock Wall Wine Company (Alameda), Blue Ox Wine Co. (Berkeley), and Broc Cellars (Berkeley) and get bottles shipped to your house. Wine bar and bottle shop Decant SF also offers curbside pickup and next-day delivery.
4. Outfit your quarantine pantry
SF restaurant Prairie is making a smart business-model switch by turning into a general store during the pandemic, selling both meal and pantry kits. You can preorder for pickup. The Pantry Prepper Kit will “feed two people for a couple of days” and includes unhandled, shelf-stable foods like chorizo, sardines, olive oil, Marcona almonds, rosemary crackers, and more. They even throw in a roll of toilet paper and some bleach wipes for good measure.
5. Sweets = self-care
Tough times call for chocolate. Help yourself and help struggling boutique chocolatiers like TinyB Chocolate, which sells gluten-free, small-batch Brazilian truffles. The owner posted on Instagram that she and her husband are still working to fulfill online orders from their home. The online shop at Batter Bakery is another great place to turn to for sweets, especially for cookies; you can also order doughs and batters through Good Eggs. Others including Tartine, Josey Baker/The Mill, Noe Valley Bakery, Kantine, Outerlands, and Three Babes Bakeshop are doing delivery and/or pick-up.
Order This: There are 7 cake sizes and 6 different flavors, from “the whole cacao pod” (100% cacao chocolate ganache with tangy cacao fruit, cacao nibs) to pistachio+rose (roasted, salted pistachio buttercream with rose syrup).
6. Spice it up
Why not upgrade your spice selection why you’re at it? With all the cooking about to go down, it’s a great time to stock up from Oaktown Spice Shop. Here’s the crew who will be fulfilling your order.
7. Show your Bay Area pride
Now’s a great time to buy some items showing the love for your city and state. You’ll find lots of good options at the online store for Oakland’s Urban Indigo, including a California-shaped necklace, Oakland dish towel, and SF coasters. And then there’s always Oaklandish with its staple Oakland pride shirts, hoodies, onesies, and more. Over in SF, San Franpyscho is a great option.
8. Enjoy this quarantine cake
Have something to celebrate in the coming weeks? Or just want to anxiety-eat an entire cake in front of the TV? Local cake shop Butter& is still making deliveries, including “Quarantine Cakes” with important Covid-19 PSAs like “Wash Your Hands” and “Don’t Touch Your Face” for pick-up and delivery across the Bay Area. Order ahead at least 2 business days and save delivery fees by picking up curbside at their SF Dogpatch studio.
9. Upgrade your wardrobe
While you’re stuck inside, you may as well pull out the ol’ KonMari method and see what items surrounding you no longer bring you joy. Go through the closets, get rid of those clothes, and set them aside to donate when we can all leave our homes again. Once you make room for new stuff, consider browsing these local shops with online stores: Aiken (soft organic shirts, high-quality denim, and rain gear), Modern Citizen (both professional and everyday staples), and Cuyana (high-quality classic clothes and bags).
10. Take a candle-making, tarot, or essential oils class
Oakland shop Rare Bird, which carries work from local artisans and makers, is getting crafty and tech-savvy to weather this storm. The store is offering its witchy and zen wellness sessions over Zoom rather than in person, including an equinox moon circle, tarot sessions, and astrology readings. You can also browse the online shop — how perfect is this embroidery piece?
11. Get crafty at home
We know it’s tempting to sit on the couch and scroll mindlessly past sad news and memes. But why not put the phone down and try to do something productive with your hands? Being stuck inside gives us all a great chance to get creative and start some projects. And San Francisco shop Jenny Lemons has you covered with art supplies. They also have a fun assortment of craft kits (from embroidery to watercolor to painting) as well as craft books, hand-printed clothing, and locally made jewelry.
12. Entertain your kids, or help someone entertain theirs
It’s rough out there for parents these days, with their little monsters tearing apart the house while they try to work from home. If that situation sounds familiar, check out local kids stores for some new crafts, toys, and books to keep them busy and stop screaming while you’re presenting to your team. We recommend Ashay by the Bay for books, Mapamundi Kids for unique toys, and aptly named Tantrum for arts and crafts.
13. Spruce up your home
You’re spending a lot of time at home, so make it nicer. Some of our favorite home decor stores that we know have online shops include Local Take (a gallery gift store featuring over 130 Bay Area artists and designers), Paxton Gate (carries everything from taxidermy to fossils and crystals), and General Store (a boutique shop with locally made ceramics, candles, and textiles). Jered’s Pottery and Heath Ceramics are other great businesses making dinnerware and ceramics.
14. Do more self-care—all the self-care
Destress. Breathe. Lather yourself in Goddess Butter. Made in Oakland, goddess butter is a multi-use product for your skin and hair made from African shea butter, natural cocoa butter, and other oils. You need this right now. Other shops offering ways to make your body, skin, and hair feel better are Ayla, (selling nontoxic beauty products and based in Lower Pac Heights) and Frankie & Myrrh, which offers blends of essential oils including Spray the Bitch Away, Breath of Fresh Air, and, most appropriately, Stayin’ Alive antimicrobial spray.
15. Get cozy
Your work clothes may look a little different these days—the perks of working at home include not having to put on real pants or shoes. Check out these slippers, also known as house shoes, made in Japan and sold at Topdrawer (with locations around the Bay Area). Perhaps you could also slink around your house in a new robe from Kim + Ono, an SF boutique and apparel brand that makes handcrafted kimonos.
16. Set a mood
To help with the anxiety of the times, make your space and your life a little more zen. The Bay Area is full of shops to help you with that. We suggest grabbing some apothecary goods from Foggy Notion, which sells skin elixirs, diffusers, candles, edibles, and other goods. They will even deliver in person in the Richmond district (noncontact drop off) and are donating shipping costs to the Richmond Neighborhood Center.
17. Spin some tunes
To further set the mood, put on a record. More specifically, buy some new ones for your collection from local record shops like Vinyl Dreams — specializing in house, techno, and disco — and Thrillhouse Records, an old-school store near Bernal Heights that’s run by a volunteer staff and equipped with mainly punk and underground music.
18. Have a cuppa
Let’s add some tea to your zen evening. Order some from Hella Tea, owned by Oakland native Chantrelle Edwards. Their Try the Bay Area Collection is a box of seven hip-hop themed signature flavors, including Steep Curry and Don’t Gimme No Bammer Tea.
19. Treat your furry friends
Our canine and feline pals are all working round the clock as emotional support for us, so let’s not forget about them. Pet supply stores are actually considered essential under the shelter-in-place order, so many of your favorite shops are likely open. However, we recommend ordering online and not going in unless you are really in a bind and need pet food. Stores that have online ordering include Sunset Pet Supply and George (check out those adorable dog quilts).
20. Spice it up in the bedroom
Everyone’s saying there are going to be a lot of babies bred from all of this time forced at home. If that’s not your goal, please use protection! Either way, it’s a perfect time to get wild, experiment, and make the bedroom a lot more interesting. Luckily, plenty of Bay Area shops can help, including Oakland’s Feelmore Adult Gallery (you can even get ’em on Postmates) and Good Vibrations (locations throughout the bay). Both are women-owned.
Plus one more, because why not:
21. Bring back the fanny pack
We think that we need this ice cream fanny pack from Lady Alamo, a colorful design studio. It’s perfect for carrying snacks with you while you wander around your house aimlessly, wondering what is happening in the world.
