Here is a list of my favorite Bay Area based business run by women, mostly moms and all friends of mine. These companies/services run the gamut from fashion to real estate to culinary to craft. To add a bit of extra fun, I’ve also asked each of them to list their favorite travel destinations. Happy reading and please support Bay Area small businesses! Click on the links to visit each company’s website:
Anne Katzenmeyer, Realtor
Anne Katzenmeyer helps people realize their real estate goals. Whether you are a first time home buyer, looking to upsize or downsize, or looking for investment properties, she uses her expansive network and knowledge as a native San Franciscan to tailor a marketing or search plan that fits your needs. Anne loves this city and believes that investing here whether it’s for personal use or to diversify your portfolio is a smart investment and she can help you find the right property.
Anne’s Favorite Travel Destination: Tokyo.
ARCHIVE collection is a collaboration between producer, Breanna de Geere, and Parisian designer/artist Pia Myrvold. The name ARCHIVE comes from the desire to recreate the most loved styles from Pia’s archives spanning 10 years as a designer on the Chambre Syndicale des Creatures de Mode in France. Twenty hand picked styles produced as limited editions epitomize the interplay of fashion and art. Breanna used local manufacturing in California to bring this curated collection to the discerning, modern women of San Francisco.
Breanna’s favorite travel spot: anywhere in Scandinavia.
At Common Thread designs accessories for babies and kids. They are our good friend Joanne Lee and 2 other Bay Area moms on a mission to make high-quality products that are both stylish and functional — meeting the needs of kids and parents! They take lots of pride in their work and hand make every piece with love in California.
Joanne’s favorite travel spot is: Kauai.
DILEKSEZEN creates unique designs for distinctive and exquisite engagement and wedding rings. She specializes in custom-designed fine jewelry and one-of-a-kind objets d’art of diverse appeal, all created with outstanding craftsmanship, and an exceptional level of personalized service. Her studio is located on Union Street in San Francisco.
A new brand by Dilek Sezen, ds3d focuses on beautifully crafted accessories in 3D printing technology. ds3d collection is either dedicated to San Francisco landmarks or inspired by San Francisco lifestyle, all produced with biodegradable and recyclable materials. The collection is designed and digitally manufactured on Union Street in San Francisco.
Dilek’s Favorite Travel Destination: Canary Islands
Dragonfly Designs, owned and operated by Stacee Gillelen, specializes in Art Education for children ages 5 -13. We offer mobile Jewelry Making Birthday Parties, after school enrichment classes in the arts, camps during school breaks & private event entertainment. We also teach our art classes & camps in Mandarin Chinese & Spanish. Dragonfly Designs – Where Creativity Meets Fun!
Stacee’s favorite travel destination: Toss up between Cusco, Peru and Tulum, Mexico.
Owned by fellow mom, Kimberly Burns, Flourish Foods’ mission is to provide delicious, organic food for the whole family including baby, toddler and now moms – delivered right to your kitchen table. They use exclusively organic ingredients and local options whenever possible. They are completely transparent about their practices and if an ingredient isn’t something Kim would feed to her family, you won’t find it on their menu. Flourish Foods’ products are whipped up in small batches by hand before being delivered to your doorstep. From simple & spiced up purees to snacks & meals the whole family can enjoy and nutrient dense stews for pregnant and postpartum mommas, they’ve been tickling tummies around the Bay Area since 2010. Journeys Unparalleled loves their chocolate muffins (great for kids who won’t eat beans; plus no added sugar!) and their oh-so convenient school lunch bundles (the veggie tamales and empanadas are scrumptious!).
Kim Burns’ favorite travel destination: Jamaica.
Kelly Keiser Interior Design & Decoration
Kelly Keiser is a seasoned interior designer who has honed her skills in San Francisco for the past 17 years. Kelly specializes in residential and commercial interior design. Her work can be seen in Better Homes & Gardens magazine where she has been featured many times. Incidentally, Kelly helped us with our home renovation a few years ago; we’re convinced it was her design tough that helped us sell it for what we did!
Kelly’s favorite design and travel destination: Paris, France.
ParksKitchen is a newly launched Korean cooking experience for adults and kids in Noe Valley, San Francisco. Instructor and founder JiYoung Park was born in Seoul, Korea and has been teaching since 2007, mostly in Tokyo, Japan. Her class is the only authentic cooking lesson for Korean food in San Francisco. Students enjoy learning a wide variety of Korean dishes ranging from the most popular Kimchi making class to personalized, private classes she develops. This unique cooking experience for 8-10 people is hosted in the intimacy of JiYoung’s beautiful kitchen in Noe Valley.
JiYoung’s favorite destination: Tokyo where she lived for 4 years.
Ravlik, owned and run by Lidiya Lukashova, is a new girls clothing brand located in the US and Ukraine. They produce high quality clothes with smart designs. The designs for their collection were all inspired by their own children. There is nothing within Ravlik clothing that would not be approved by their main critics – their own daughters! Only natural materials were used for Ravlik clothes. And that is what makes them especially proud.
Lidiya’s favorite travel destinations: Italy, France and Carmel Valley Ranch.
Silent Book Club is a worldwide network of book lovers who enjoy reading quietly in the company of others. They host silent reading parties in more than 20 cities across the globe each month, from San Francisco to Kuala Lumpur. It’s happy hour for introverts: BYOBook. They also have a growing community of more than 5,000 members who share book recommendations, reviews, and news online. Silent Book Club was founded in 2012 by our friend Guinevere de la Mare, Laura Gluhanich, and Kristin Appenbrink, and is based in San Francisco and Brooklyn. Visit their website to find out about their next party.
Guinevere’s favorite travel destination is Hawaii, where she was born and raised.
What is a Tum Tum? It’s a unique tummy warmer—a wearable blanket—that slips over your baby’s torso and sits under the arms and over the belly, keeping your child warm to the core while allowing your little one to play freely and sleep soundly. For hundreds of years, Asian families have passed down a time-tested nugget of wisdom that a warm tummy can help you from getting sick and boost overall health. Tum Tum is owned and run by Jennifer Flowers.
Jennifer’s favorite vacation spot: Hyatt Huntington Beach because of their water playground (slides).