Women-owned businesses on Oakland's Piedmont Avenue boost each other with shopping passport program
Women who own and run small businesses along Oakland's Piedmont Avenue have partnered for a month-long campaign to encourage more customers to check out their different stores and promote each other's products and services.
The Women of the Avenue Shopping Passport was created in honor of Women's History Month and will bring discounts and deals throughout March as well as the chance to win raffle prizes.
"You know I knew there were a lot of women-owned businesses here on Piedmont, but I guess I didn't really realize, like, quite how many there were," said Allison Futeral, owner of Crimson Horticultural Rarities. "So I just love that, I think it's just great."
Futeral has owned the business for more than a decade. She was working in public health and enjoyed plants as a hobby when she decided to make a career change at age 45. For the past few years, her business has been on Piedmont Avenue.
"I really had no idea that I could pull off this," she told KPIX while inside her shop. "But I just really love the joy that plants bring to people."
Crimson is one of 20 stores participating in the passport. There are more than 30 women involved, including those with businesses that take customers by appointment only. If someone visits any of the stores in March, they can get a stamp even if they don't buy anything. The more stamps they collect, the more chances they have to be entered into a raffle featuring prizes from all the businesses participating.
"It just brings awareness to the avenue and to all of the small businesses here and to all of the small businesses that are women-owned," Futeral said.
Pomella restaurant chef and owner Mica Talmor helped come up with the idea of the passport so businesses on the street could support each other and celebrate Women's History Month. In addition to the passport, all the stores will use their social media channels to promote one business each day. The goal is to expose each of the women to a larger customer base by pooling together their online audiences.
"I want to do something together to show people that, you know, this is what small business is, this is what women do, this is how women show up every day in your lives," Talmor said.
Pomella opened in March 2020 so the campaign will also serve as a way to help celebrate the restaurant's fourth anniversary. The winners of the raffle will be announced at Pomella next month. Talmor hopes to recruit more women and their businesses in 2025 because she already wants to bring back the campaign next year.
"Now I'm incredibly aware of what has been done for me by the women that came before me, I feel that so many women have done so much to open doors for me," she said.
While the campaign will reward customers just for visiting stores, the business owners who are part of the effort hope it will encourage more people to shop small and local. Regardless of where a business is located and how long it has been operating, they say the need for support is always there.
"Sadly, you know it is still a struggle for women out there, women experience a lot of hardship," Futeral said. "The life of a woman is so special and a bit of a hard path you have, like, ups and downs."