Small Business Sunday: Five Women-Owned Businesses in Rockville, Maryland
- Katerina Triantos
- Mar 28, 2021
- 6 min read
The Small Business Sunday series balances out my “hay comida en casa” mindset by encouraging me to find and support exciting small businesses. I particularly focus on BIPOC-, immigrant-, women-, disability-, and LGBTQ+-owned/friendly businesses.
Our first stop takes us to Rockville, Maryland, where I was born and raised for the first 8 years of my life! Nestled just outside Washington, DC and with a population of approximately 67,100 people, Rockville’s population is richly multicultural with 35% of residents being born outside the country. The population is ethnically diverse as well, 47% identifying as White, 20% as Asian, 15% as Hispanic, 11% as Black or African American, and 5% as multi-racial, American Indian, Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian, or other Pacific Islander. (Demographical data collected from Data USA: Rockville, MD.) With all this diversity, Rockville is home to an abundance of cultures, food, fashion, styles, businesses, etc., and this is what I love about it.
Without further ado, let’s get into 5 women-owned businesses in Rockville, Maryland you should check out. I’ve also included some super close North Bethesda spots as well.
Tsiona Foods, owned by Tsion Bellete, aims at making Ethiopian cooking accessible in the home and sells stew mixes, spices, injera chips, dips, coffee, and legumes. Headquartered in Rockville, Tsiona’s Foods sells its products online and at regional markets and shops, including Whole Food Markets, Mom’s Organic Market, Dawson Market, Rodman’s, Streets Cafe & Market, Yes! Organic Market, and Glen’s Garden Market. I personally bought 3 types of injera chips (original, garlic, and rosemary) from Mom’s Organic Market, and honestly, I have one word to sum these chips up: Delightful! As a bit of a backstory, I am a big potato chip lover because I crave salty crunchiness, and I would gladly eat a whole bag if I wouldn’t feel sick afterwards. These injera chips took my experience of chip consumption to the next level; savory, slightly tangy, crunchy, and substantial, these chips are light, don’t leave me feeling bloated, and kept my mouth and tongue free from that oily film potato chips leave behind. Fantastic alone, but also try eating them alongside other foods for great flavor combinations - all three flavors were the vessel for my vegetable stir fry one day and my refried beans another day. Both the garlic and rosemary carry their flavor very well, so you can be assured if you like garlic and rosemary these two flavors are perfect for you. The rosemary has a slight spicy kick to it; if you have a medium or high tolerance to spice, it won’t feel spicy. However, I do know there are people out there that find black pepper spicy - if this is you, this will also be spicy for you.
Snapshot: Tsiona Food
Website: https://www.tsionafoods.com/
Industry: Packaged food
Products: Stew mixes; spices; injera chips; dips; coffee; and legumes
Location: Headquartered in Rockville, MD; sold at local shops
Where sold: Online; locally in DMV/ Washington, DC area shops including select Whole Food Markets, Mum’s Organic Market, Dawson Market, Rodman’s, Streets Cafe & Market, Yes! Organic Market, and Glen’s Garden Market
Ownership: Black-owned; Women-owned
Olive & Loom, owned by Ferzan Jaeger, is like a hug from a warm blanket. Although you can buy a selection of products online, I highly recommend visiting in person if you’re in the area. Just off Rockville Pike, in the Pike and Rose outdoor shopping center, it’s perhaps two blocks away from having a Rockville address. Opening the doors, you’ll notice a soft hint of lavender and rose notes in the air, and as you walk around your eyes will fall upon a variety of beautifully crafted kitchen, home, bath and body, baby and toddler, accessories, and affirmative prints and products showcasing women icons and leaders. You’ll also find products from businesses that empower and uplift women (such as Kin & Care products that are made in the USA by refugee women). I ended up buying a couple of soaps, cotton kitchen towels, and a Frida Kahlo puzzle I look forward to working on with my sister. And if I was on the market for coasters, I would definitely have bought quite a few beautifully designed ones! What a soothing experience.
Snapshot: Olive & Loom
Website: https://www.oliveandloom.com/
Industry: Lifestyle
Products: Home and kitchen; bath and body; baby and toddler; accessories, prints
Location: North Bethesda, MD
How sold: In store; online
Ownership: Immigrant-owned; Woman-owned
Sunday Morning Bakehouse, owned by Caroline Yi-Chef, is a fabulous mixture of impeccable coffee and a mouth-watering selection of sweet and savory breakfast, dessert, and lunch options. Honestly, I haven’t had coffee that’s tasted this good since my time in the Netherlands which had amazing local cafes. Also, they have super fresh croissants that are perfectly crisped and flake as you bite into them, at which point you’re met with the perfect amount of sweetness and butteriness. I got an oat milk latte, almond croissant, and banana caramel croissant. I instantly perked up and I believe it cured my headache (no one can tell me otherwise) -
who knew it was also medicinal! Jokes aside, I’m pretty sure I would have liked anything I got; and I’ll be on a quest to find out if I do. Added bonus, it’s a 30 second walk from Olive & Loom in Pike and Rose. My only regret is that I couldn’t find an outdoor table to take a photo of my little brunch (COVID times); I settled for finding a spare chair and proceeded to devour the croissants from their little take-away baggy I set on my lap.
Snapshot: Sunday Morning Bakehouse
Industry: Cafe, Bakery
Products: Coffee and tea; baked goods; breakfast; lunch
Location: North Bethesda, MD
How sold: In store
Ownership: Asian-owned; Woman-owned
Java Nation, owned by Cheryl Bedini, is an incredible place to stop by and socialize in an outdoor/fresh air setting with ample outdoor space heaters - perfect for a more social distance-friendly experience. The staff was friendly and helpful, and the vibe was bright and exciting. Also, what does Java Nation not have? A wide selection of creative coffee/teas, baked goods, meals, and alcoholic beverages to select from, there’s something for everyone. I opted for take-out, though I wish I dined in! There are definitely some latin inspired flavors present, so I opted for the hor-chai-ta, which is essentially a warm drink combination of horchata and chai tea. If you don’t have a big sweet tooth, ask them to make the drink less sweet or as least sweet as possible, like I did. I love the creative spin on combining the flavors; although there was a chai flavor present, it was not overpowering, and therefore if you or someone you know is getting into exploring new flavors and spices (perhaps kids for example), this is a unique and delightful option. I paired my hor-chai-ta with a slice of carrot cake to cap it off. I highly suggest dining in if you can at the Java Nation in North Bethesda, to experience the fun and friendly vibe. They particularly have a relatively large outdoor, open space.
Snapshot: Java Nation
Website: https://java-nation.com/
Industry: Restaurant
Products: Breakfast; lunch; dinner; coffee; baked goods; alcoholic drinks
Location: North Bethesda, MD; Kensington, MD
Where sold: Dine in; take-out; delivery
Ownership: Black-owned; Woman-owned
Stella’s Bakery, owned by Stella Cawley Kouros and Yanni Kragiopoulos, is now your go to bakery. You can tell because there’s always a huge line to get in early Saturday mornings. I absolutely love the fruit custard cake which is a huge birthday cake favorite - I had it at my Quinceañera. I also adore the fruit tarts, custards, pastries, and all their Greek desserts - baklava, kouramebia, melomacarona, etc. It reminds of my childhood summers in Greece and the fairs at our local Greek Orthodox churches. When the pandemic started I got so afraid that this bakery would go out of business, so I’m pretty sure I bought a large junk of the shop (I’ve added the photo). Holidays are particularly packed with customers - was it worth the 45 minute 8am cold, outdoor wait on Thanksgiving? I (and everyone else in the line) would say yes! Stella’s bakery took the pandemic very seriously from the start, and only 3 customers can go in at once, so that’s why there are such long lines. It gets crowded, but it won’t be nearly as long of a wait once the world is a little safer. Packed with so many tasty options and wanting customers, my only question is, why aren’t there more Stella Bakeries?
Snapshot: Stella’s Bakery
Website: http://www.stellasbakeryonline.com/
Industry: Bakery
Products: Cakes; tarts; pastries; cookies; chocolate
Location: Rockville, MD
How sold: In store pick-up or take-out
Ownership: Immigrant-owned; Woman-owned
And here’s a bonus sixth business I wanted to give a shout out to: Neek and Nan’s, owned by Shannon Brown. Neek and Nan’s is headquartered in Rockville, and you can currently buy products online or at farmer markets across the Baltimore and Riverdale area. Although I was not able to incorporate them into this blog just yet as I haven’t tried the products (sauces, seasonings, and teas), Neek and Nan’s has been nothing but kind and so helpful as I’ve reached out privately on social media to find out what I should purchase and if I may pick up products in Rockville. I look forward to trying Neek and Nan’s products out!
I’m positive I’m missing so many small businesses in Rockville, Maryland. Let me know what I should try next!
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