In late January, Ayesha Curry's new store and café opened in Uptown Oakland, selling home decor, jewelry, candles, books and coffee. Called Sweet July, the retail space shares the same name as Curry's food and lifestyle magazine, which launched last April.
"In a way, the store is really the magazine brought to life," wrote the cookbook author and TV personality in an email to SFGATE. "It’s filled with beautiful inspiration to act as a retreat for the Oakland community, similar to what I hope readers feel when they sit down and dive into one of our issues. ... I wanted it to be something the Oakland community could be proud of and somewhere where everyone could feel at home."
Sweet July — both the store and the magazine — is named after the month of Curry’s wedding anniversary with NBA and Warriors star Steph Curry, and the month in which all three of her children were born. The magazine's goal, she writes, is "representation" and to be "a celebration of diversity and inclusivity."
Curry first announced her plans to open the brick-and-mortar store back in September, when she spoke with the Mercury News about her desire to "dedicate space to emerging Black-owned brands." True to her word, Sweet July stocks a variety of products from Black business owners, including beauty products from 54 Thrones and kids' quilts and quilted coats from CandidArt.
Sweet July, Ayesha Curry's new store and cafe, is located at 455 23rd St. in Oakland.
Courtesy of JazMiyagi"One of the big priorities for me right out of the gates was to use this real estate to feature fellow Black-owned brands," wrote Curry. "It’s been so amazing getting to know these incredible entrepreneurs and their stories. We’re looking forward to making many of these brands permanent fixtures in the store, and continuing to include more and more in the future."
Additionally, all cookbooks featured in the store are from Bay Area women — Tanya Holland's "Brown Sugar Kitchen" and Michelle Polzine's "Baking at the 20th Century Café," for example. Sweet July sells an array of fiction and non-fiction titles from Black authors as well, including Brit Bennett's "The Vanishing Half."
Soon, you'll also be able to find Curry's new skin care line on the shelves, branded under the Sweet July name. The café, meanwhile, serves Sweet July-branded coffee with different syrups, such as a coconut and ginger flavor called Island Love, as well as tea and pastries like bread pudding.
Sweet July, Ayesha Curry's new store and cafe, is located at 455 23rd St. in Oakland.
Courtesy of JazMiyagiThe store's location on Oakland's 23rd Street, surrounded by businesses like Sherri McMullen’s boutique McMullen and Brittany Barnes’ beauty salon Goodbody, was an important choice for Curry.
"The location holds special significance for me, in that it’s a block dominated by businesses owned by Black women," wrote Curry. "When the opportunity to join that powerhouse business community presented itself, I jumped at it."
Overall, she writes, the response from the community to the Sweet July store has been very rewarding.
"It’s been overwhelming, and I’m so grateful," she wrote. "I heard someone in the store the other day tell her friend that this is exactly what Oakland needed. It was an emotional moment, and a reminder of exactly why I started this journey way back in the beginning."
Sweet July, 455 23rd St., Oakland. Open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
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