BIPOC Holiday Gift Guide

Why Is It Important to Shop BIPOC?

While we make our shopping lists and begin making purchases, it's important to remember that marginalization of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) individuals and cultures can still be found in every aspect of society and it was painfully obvious as I was working on this gift guide. I saw cultural appropriation of authentic Indian spices and traditional Japanese tea sets. White people selling Boba Tea Kits. I also saw a gross number of companies whose stories included traveling to Rwanda/India/Guatemala, falling in love with what they found there and bringing that ‘knowledge’ back to America to start their business. That is the very definition of cultural appropriation.

The problem is that if consumers are not actively, intentionally seeking out shops owned and gifts made by BIPOC, they likely won’t find any. I spent hours researching companies to include in this guide and unfortunately, most people do not have that kind of time. A Google search for “leather dopp kit” yielded zero results for BIPOC-owned companies, at least on the first five pages. Virtually no one ventures past the first page of Google results and the #1 result captures over 30% of the clicks. In fact, only 0.78% of Google searchers click on something from the second page.

To further compound this issue, major gift guides from Buzzfeed, New York Times, Today.com, Good Housekeeping, etc. are sorely lacking in diversity. Most of their picks were from major brands on Amazon with a few small businesses sprinkled in. But this year, Amazon and Jeff Bezos don’t need any more money--during the pandemic, while small businesses are suffering and shuttering left and right, Amazon doubled its profit from $2.6 billion to $5.3 billion.

This holiday season, let’s support small, local and BIPOC businesses. When you purchase from a small business, a real human being smiles and does a happy jig.

BIPOC Holiday Gift Guide

2021 Calendar and Postcards

Passing Time is a beautiful calendar by Celeste Noche and Alyce Harley doubles as a set of postcards that can be sent to friends and family once the month is done. Celeste's parents were born in the Philippines, both immigrated to America separately and met here. Her heritage influences her work, especially where food photography is concerned. This multi-functional calendar features original photography by Celeste and one-of-a-kind lettering by Alyce Harley. The first batch will be shipped out on December 1st, so order ASAP! A portion of all proceeds will be donated to Gender Reveal’s BIPOC Trans Grant Program.

Artisanal Chocolate from Brazil

Mission Chocolate is an award-winning micro-batch chocolate company founded and operated by WOC chocolatier Arcelia Gallardo, who previously opened a chocolate shop in California, and also trained as a bean to bar maker at Dandelion Chocolate. She has worked in the chocolate industry for 17 years and has traveled through 23 countries to study her craft. In 2011, her shop in Berkeley was featured as one of the best sweet shops in the world by Travel and Leisure Magazine.

Candid Art

Quilts, kids' outerwear, home goods, jewelry and greeting cards can all be found at Candid Art. Founded by Candice Cox in 2011, this artisanal jewelry, home décor and Kids lifestyle brand is "influenced by the modern African Diaspora and cosmic geometry." My favorite pieces are her kids' quilted jackets featuring fun and bright prints.




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Ceramic Beads

​For the any-level jewelry maker in your life, gift a unique ceramic bead from Fu Ceramics to take their accessorizing to the next level. Fu Ceramics was started by Salina Fu in 2019 after creating a necklace for her mother. In Chinese, Fú means blessing and good fortune so these stunning beads are a tribute to her ancestry as well. You can create a design with multiple but these beads are perfect on their own too!

Christmas Cookies

​What better way to celebrate Christmas than with the cutest, most intricately decorated cookies around? Monica of the Pent Up Cookie Company holds an MFA in Fine Art from California Institute of the Arts and it truly shows in her cookie designs. They're almost too beautiful to eat.

Eighth Generation

Founded in 2008, Eighth Generation is a Seattle-based art and lifestyle brand owned by the Snoqualmie Tribe. While everything in their shop is gorgeous, I especially love their blankets and socks. I think it's amazing that they support Native artists and you can learn about the artist of each piece below the item. This blanket was designed by Bethany Yellowtail who grew up on the Crow Nation. This shop offers such a variety of beautiful pieces that I would be surprised if you don't find the perfect gift for someone you love.

 Gavin Luxe Perfume

While Gavin Luxe offers room mists, candles and skin care, the item I'm most excited about is their Luxe #10 perfume described as "a self-care situation triple-dipped in Bergamot, White Birch, and luxe Pink Sugar that feels like a fizzy bottle of champagne and the perfect toast to a cozy celebration of you choosing you." Maybe it's quarantine or kids, but this product description really speaks to me right now.

Greenbar Distillery Spirits

The world's oldest winery was found in Armenia and Los Angeles' first distillery since the Prohibition is Greenbar Distillery, founded by Armenian Melkon Khosrovian and his wife Litty Matthew, born to South-Indian parents in Ethiopia. Though they were born over 2,000 miles apart on separate continents, the pair met in journalism school in Los Angeles. They eventually got married and started Greenbar Distillery which produces everything from gin to vodka with the highest quality ingredients. My favorite is the Grand Poppy Amaro, an homage to the company's origins in California.

Hey Moon Designs Jewelry

Hey Moon Designs integrates different elements to create statement jewelry with minimal design that focuses on earthy tones + geometrical shapes.  Each piece is hand-marbled, formed, and assembled by Scarlet Penaloza in her home in Los Angeles. I'm partial to her necklaces (for adults and kids!) and cute hair clips--they would make the perfect stocking stuffers.

Hortiki Plants Kids’ Kit

Instill a love of gardening in the little ones in your life with this fun and educational kids' plant kit from Hortiki Plants. Victoria's eco-friendly, plastic-free kit comes with ​3 organic seed sachets (~75-90 seeds), 2 bags of organic soil, 3 biodegradable pots, 3 biodegradable water catchment trays, kid-friendly growing instructions, and more games and activities.

Japanese Ceramics and Tea Set

Owned and operated by husband and wife team, Mikio Matsumoto and Cheryl Costantini, Nichibei Potters is the product of a trans-continental love story. ​Cheryl apprenticed as a potter in Japan for six years, met Mikio there, married and returned to California. The pair have been running their studio in Sebastopol, CA, for 35 years and their experience and craftsmanship shows in their breath-taking tea sets, mugs and bowls.

Milk and T Boba Kit

For the boba lover in your life, deliver their favorite drink to their home with the Milk and T Boba Kit which includes everything needed to DIY a delicious glass of boba tea. Milk and T were founded by two badass women of color, Beyah del Mundo, who was born in Manila, Philippines, and Stacey Kwong, born in Los Angeles to Chinese immigrant parents. What they started as a food truck in 2015 has grown to brick-and-mortar shops in Little Tokyo, DTLA, Portland, OR, and Las Vegas, NV.

PepperCut Stickers

Artist Julianne Le designs the cutest stickers for her PepperCut Etsy shop. Her one-of-a-kind designs would be perfect as stocking stuffers or even a gift for yourself to add to your own scrapbook. Her specialties are food, puns and plants and she does it all so well!

Shop SUNDAY/MONDAY

SUNDAY/MONDAY is a textile brand created by Nisha Mirani and Brendan Kramer in 2017. The shop's designed are inspired by their respective Indian and Japanese heritages. My favorite pieces in their shop are the printed scarves and table linens, both of which will add a unique flair to any outfit or tablescape.
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Spice Tree Organics​

​Finding a BIPOC spice company was surprisingly the most difficult feat out of all of the gifts featured hear. Nearly all of the Indian spices I came across on Etsy are created and sold by White women. After a few hours of searching, I found Spice Tree Organics, which is owned by two women of color. Their gift tin set is beautiful and the spices themselves sound mouthwatering. It will be sure to spice things up in the kitchen during quarantine!

Sunrow Co. Candles

Sunrow Co. is a Latina owned company that launched their small-batch and eco-friendly coconut and soy candles on November 30th. Joanna designed her candles to be minimalist and clean while her scents are complex and intoxicating. Every time I light her Cozy Holiday candle, my family thinks I'm baking something delicious. I'm also excited to try out her Naked (sheer vanilla and sandalwood) and Rugged (wild vetiver and cedarwood) candles.

Trickster Company

​Trickster Company is an indigenous owned design shop founded by siblings Rico and Crystal Worl with the goal to promote innovative indigenous design. They focus on Northwest Coast art and strive to represent a prestigious lineage of art as a celebration of Northwest Coast culture as it lives today. I love these alder wood carved ornaments.

Two Days Off

How can I pick just one piece I love from Two Days Off? Gina Stovall, who founded her company in 2018 after moving from New York to Los Angeles, has designed so many perfect items that it's impossible to choose. There's the Kaneko Dress with pockets (essential for moms) and mother of pearl buttons. There are striped and polka dotted bandanas to elevate any outfit. She also includes homewares and books by other makers in her shop, so you can find something for everyone on your list. 

Virtual Paint Night

One of my favorite pre-COVID activities was going to a Yaymaker Paint Night with friends or my husband, grabbing dinner and drinks and painting one of the "masterpieces" that currently lives on my wall. Since the pandemic started, Yaymaker switched to a virtual format and any artist can host a paint night. Willis Lewis has a bunch of fantastic paint nights lined up in December-- my favorites are Klimt Mother and Child, Starry Night in Paris and the Christmas Pineapple. You can either sign up yourself a paint a gift for your loved one or buy them a pass along with all of the materials they'll need to create their own painting.

When Aiden Became a Brother

If you want to support an independent publisher, bookshop, trans author and WOC artist all at once, order When Aiden Became a Brother from Lee and Low Books. Written by trans author, Kyle Lukoff, and illustrated by Kaylani Juanita, When Aiden Became a Brother tells the story of a Black boy who was born in a girl's body and uses language and imagery that is approachable and understandable for young minds. This incredible work is available at minority-owned Lee and Low, the country's largest multicultural children's book publisher.


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