Now open in Castro Valley! Order online for store pickup or shipping.

A Note from Erica and John

We are outraged and disgusted by the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd. We recognize that these are just the latest names in a horrifyingly long list. That these are not isolated events, but the product of a racist and unjust system. We wholeheartedly support the protesters.

We are not experts on how to solve systemic racism and police violence. But we want the shops to be safe spaces for people to talk about these issues and what we can do as individuals and as a company to work on solutions. This week we held meetings with staff at both our Oakland and Albany shops to seek their valued feedback on how Oaktown Spice Shop can be a better community member and anti-racist organization. We have work to do.

This will be an ongoing process as we figure out how best to do this.

For starters, Oaktown Spice Shop will DONATE 20% of this week's sales to Black Lives Matter and the American Civil Liberties Union, from today until Tuesday, June 16.

We will also match our employees' contributions to these organizations this month.

This won't be a one-time occurrence. We are working on a plan to donate regularly to anti-racist causes in a way that is sustainable for the long-term.

As individuals and as business owners, we are recommitting ourselves to studying anti-racism, raising anti-racist children, interrogating ourselves and holding ourselves accountable for the ways in which we benefit from and contribute to systemic racism.

With gratitude for your community and support,
Erica and John

Email Print

Also in News

Third Oaktown Spice Shop Location in Castro Valley Scheduled for 2020

As many of you know (and some of you might not), we are planning a third retail shop location in the soon-to-be-built Castro Valley Marketplace!

Oaktown Spice Shop to open in Castro Valley Marketplace

We are excited to announce that we will be opening our third Oaktown Spice Shop location in the soon-to-be-built Castro Valley Marketplace! Scheduled for opening in Fall 2019, Castro Valley Marketplace will be an artisanal food hall and community gathering space in downtown Castro Valley.

Celebrate Lunar New Year with Spices!

It's the Year of the Dog! We have some great ideas for celebrating Lunar New Year.