12 women-owned businesses to support in L.A. right now

Black woman-owned L.A. floral studio Bia Blooms was founded by native Angeleno Tabia Yapp. Through Bia Blooms the female founder has found a creative outlet for herself while spreading joy. Yapp’s flowers have been featured in publications such as the New York Times, goop and Essence Magazine, and even made a cameo in Pharrell and Jay-Z’s “Entrepreneur” video. Yapp is also a talent agent and founder of Beotis, a boutique agency that reps artists, speakers and writers of color.

Stephi Maron’s goal when opening up the first location of her makeup store was to make people feel pretty every day. She smartly situated her Brentwood and West Hollywood locations next door to another woman-owned business, DryBar, as the solution to the makeup needed following a blowout next door. Most recently, the company has pivoted to conducting virtual makeup classes and at-home services, but Blushington is still open for business online.

Before the rise of fitness studios on every corner and Pelotons in every living room, Nonna Gleyzer established her independent studio in a nondescript building on Sunset Boulevard. The pilates trainer to stars from Samuel L. Jackson to Gisele Bündchen, Gleyzer has since been named by “The World’s Best Pilates Instructor” by Forbes. She uniquely uses her background in gymnastics to train her clients and transform bodies but also heals with therapeutic bodywork to make sure her patrons are healthy above all else.

Founded by two friends, Côte took on the nail polish industry by becoming pioneers in the clean nail space. With more than 100 shades of their toxin-free polish and incredible treatments out of their Brentwood salons, founders Mary Lennon and Leah Yari lead a revolution against big beauty brands and the major major toxins and allergens readily found in nail polishes by creating their own.

Roxana Jullapat has been a pastry chef and baker all over the city, including stints at AMMO, Lucques and Cooks County, which she owned with husband and chef Daniel Mattern. East Hollywood’s Friends & Family is her latest venture with Mattern after more than 15 years of working in other kitchens. The café showcases market-driven food as well as baked goods, jams and chocolate bars. As head baker and co-owner, Jullapat focuses on artisan breads and pastries using local ingredients and heirloom grains, which inspired her first cookbook, Mother Grains, coming out April 2021.

L.A. photographer and prop stylist Danae Horst took her passion for plants and started Folia Collective. The botanical Eagle Rock shop focuses on leafy indoor evergreens and items for plant lovers including home and garden accessories plus interior design services.

Owned by celebrity stylist Dechel McKillian, this shop—formerly housed at ROW DTLA and now mostly virtual with a by-appointment Long Beach showroom—carries sustainable brands not readily found at other local spots. The L.A. native has worked with clients that include Drake, Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, Fergie, Lionel Richie and the Black Eyed Peas. She opened her boutique to bring socially-conscious brands to a wider audience (her motto: “shop your values”) and even makes sure to spotlight Black-owned businesses to showcase in her clothing store each month as a “goodie bag” pick.

Proudly owned by three Filipino-American women who became friends while in school at UCLA, this cocktail bar is not one to miss. Featuring glass chandeliers, lounge style seating and a menu that focuses on gin, the three women who back this bar created their own speakeasy in the heart of L.A.’s Historic Filipinotown. For now, they offer food and cocktails for weekend pickup in lieu of in-person service.

Mexican-American restaurateur Briana Valdez sought to fill the void of Texan food (read: a tasty breakfast taco and queso) in L.A. So the Lone Star State expat opened HomeState and now boasts four locations: Hollywood, Highland Park, Playa Vista and Pasadena. Her restaurants serve a staggering 10 different types of breakfast tacos among other Tex-Mex inspired offerings.

Celebrity facialist Olga Lorencin-Northrup, known for her A-list-frequented and now shuttered Kinara Spa in West Hollywood, rebranded as Olga Lorencin Skin Care to spotlight her namesake best-in-class products and services. Known as the “Acid Queen” to her clients including Halle Berry, Emma Stone, Eva Mendes, Jennifer Garner and Drew Barrymore, the knowledgeable aesthetician is famous for her red carpet facial. The spa, now located in Beverly Hills under the new moniker, showcases Olga’s range of products and her transformative skincare treatments.

Owner Rachel Berks’s queer-identified woman-owned store gained much-deserved popularity with her “The Future is Female” tees. Her Los Feliz store doubles as a design studio and features apparel, accessories, apothecary and housewares made by hand-selected makers she showcases on the Otherwild website. Berks also carries low- to no-waste products at the Otherwild general store and highlights local artists through her seasonal window artist in residence program. While the storefront is currently closed, all Otherwild products are offered on their website.

Coly Den Haan set her wine shop apart from other L.A. spots by choosing to only carry wine that had at least one woman involved in the production. By focusing on exclusively selling wine made by women, her Silver Lake shop—which also carries a wide selection of natural wines—not only carries a unique range of bottles but also supports other women-backed businesses. Vinovore also offers virtual wine tasting and custom gift boxes.

Empower local women and their virtual businesses from the comfort of home by checking out these digitally-native companies. Send virtual greeting cards and gifts via Givingli, owned by born-and-bred Angeleno Nicole Emrani Green, whose company has partnered with Snap and Amazon, among others. Order activated healing crystals and other wellness gifts from local reiki master and nutritional alchemist chef Serena Poon from her curated Serena Loves collection. And for the new moms in your life, order organic baby food from YUMI, a female-founded company led by two Asian-American women in L.A.