The Bold Italic’s 2020 Awards

This article is part of The Bold Italic’s 2020 Awards, which celebrate the Bay Area’s small businesses and local residents who have hustled and shown creativity throughout 2020. See all the award winners here.

Before the pandemic struck, Alex Tejeda ran a catering company, supplying pop-up food and bar service to the Bay’s tech giants. The rush of the holiday season gave way to slow business in January 2020; she was traveling in Asia when news broke of Covid-19 beginning to spread to the West Coast. By the time of the first shutdown, Tejeda had returned home to Oakland, sold off all of her catering equipment, and converted a small shipping container in a West Oakland industrial park into what we know now as Magnolia Mini Market’s flagship location.

Magnolia sells everything from fresh produce to one-of-a-kind ceramics, all from small local businesses.

We caught up with Tejeda to ask her about starting a business in 2020 and how her market has come to be such a hit in Oakland. Also, don’t forget to check out the other nominees for best bodega in the East Bay below.

The Bold Italic: How have you managed to stay afloat this year?Alex Tejeda: We’ve been consistently busy — constantly on the lookout for new brands. Our staff spends a lot of time searching, on Instagram or word of mouth, trying to find unknown brands for everyone to try! We can keep going because we have a constant rotation of brands as well as an international market — from all over Asia, Puerto Rico, all over the world.

How are you holding up now, heading into another month of shelter-in-place?
One thing we’re trying is pivoting and coming up with new ways to get these products to people. We’re looking at different delivery systems as well as doing our own. People want to send nice local gifts to their loved ones for the holidays without having to interact, so we’re gift-wrapping our products and even delivering cakes from the pastry chefs we work with.

We have a lot of different stuff and making a choice can be hard, so we’re also working on mystery boxes! Putting together some of our favorites every month and getting people to try them out.

What are your hopes for 2021?
We want to give even more exposure to local community members! We hope like everyone else that everything goes back to normal, but we’ll still be promoting local brands whether that happens soon or not. When we can’t sell products from small brands in our community it almost makes us feel guilty, so we’re doing our best to put them out there.

How can people help support your business?
One free thing you can do is find us on social media (Instagram, Facebook) and repost our fundraisers. We hold them weekly for different causes — rebuilding Black-owned businesses, for example, or protecting people and businesses out of Vietnam and the Philippines. Anything helps.

Other nominees for Best Bodega in the East Bay:

1. Rocky’s Market

This market has been around in Oakland for decades, and it has been revived since new owners, married couple Brady and Corinne, took over in 2016. The couple has worked “diligently to create a place where food meets community,” sourcing produce and all products from local vendors. In normal times, they strive to be a place where the community gathers, but until that can happen again, they’re there to provide fresh food and coffee, sweet treats, and a warm greeting.

2. Both Sides Convenience

This shop, located on Broadway in downtown Oakland, was nominated by locals who appreciate this convenience store’s charm, helpful service, and wide array of snacks, candies, and drinks.

3. Oakland Market

Those who nominated Oakland Market raved about the store’s friendly customer service, with many calling it the best neighborhood store in Oakland. It has the essentials, snacks, drinks, and overall a good neighborhood vibe.

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