14 Women-Owned Businesses to Support in Miami
From stellar restaurants and bars to chic boutiques and top-notch services, find all kinds of amazing women-owned businesses in Miami.
Not so long ago in Miami, our population consisted of men who “ran some businesses,” and women who just laughed when you asked them what they did for a living. But thankfully that has changed a ton in the past couple decades, and a burgeoning culture of entrepreneurship has created a lot more ladies who actually run some businesses.
With that, Miami-Dade’s first female mayor, there’s still a long way to go. “The majority of the time I’m the only woman at the table, especially being in the craft beer and the restaurant business,” says Lisa Siegal, co-founder and co-owner of Tarpon River Brewing. “But, in this day and age, we are seeing women-owned companies excelling, and there are people who are more apt to be doing business with female-owned companies.”
She says it’s as much an issue of leveling the playing field as women getting more respect across all industries. As we celebrate Women’s History Month throughout March, there’s never been a better time to get out and support our female entrepreneurs. Here’s a look at some of the best in South Florida, and how you can be a part of what they’re doing.
Pup & Pantry
Aubrey Swanson, who’d already conquered the world of social media marketing with clients like the Arsht Center and Beaker and Gray, was inspired to make cleaner, healthier dog treats after her rescue pup Rebel couldn’t find treats the same quality as his organic dog food. The result is Pup & Panty, a luxurious line of dog treats with no soy, wheat, corn or artificial preservatives that come in flavors like PB & PB and El Bagel’s Everything.
How to support: Pup & Pantry’s treats can be found at local outlets like Mima Market, Sabal Coffee, and Gifty Gang Gang, Or you can order online for pickup or delivery.
Blos·Roses
Beautification can be an all-day process, and for busy women like Blos Roses founder and CEO Diana Hernandez, taking that much time to get hair, nails, and feet done just wasn’t realistic. So she set out to create a full-service salon experience that can be done quickly, founding the first combination station where women can have a blow dry, manicure, and pedicure all at once. The decadent diva experience has proven so popular, Hernandez is gearing up to expand just a year after opening, setting up her second shop in Brickell this spring.
How to support: Book an appointment online.
Tarpon River Brewing
Riverside Market’s Lisa Siegel teamed with Adam Fine from Native Brewing and restaurant mogul Tim Petrillo to open this space in Downtown Lauderdale. Here you’ll find an old stable converted into a brewery, with a 1,000-square-foot house built inside that doubles as the taproom. The tap list ranges from golden ales to hoppy IPAs and fruited sours to bold stouts.
How to support: Stop by its homey taproom, which has both inside and outside seating.
CBD & More
Navigating the world of the somehow-these-are-legal CBD products and their THC cousins can be confusing, since up until a few years ago most of it was relegated to the underworld. So Yasmine Egozi opened a place to educate South Florida on the health benefits of cannabis related products. Not only does she sell a full line of oils, tinctures, and other CBD treats, she also offers one-on-one consultations and has a doctor onsite to prescribe medical marijuana cards.
How to support: Stop by the store
2 Korean Girls
Sisters Michele and Jennifer Kaminski learned the power of female entrepreneurship early on, watching their mother Chom “Sunny” Kaminski run a Korean restaurant in Indiana. Though the sisters went into different industries, they’ve come back to hospitality this past year with the opening of 2 Korean Girls, a delivery and takeout only restaurant that gives their native food some modern amenities. While they’ve got plenty of classics like homemade kimchi and bibimbap bowls, they also offer loads of vegan options, and let you customize pretty much anything on the menu.
How to support: Order online. This month, they’ll be donating a portion of all proceeds to No More Tears to help support victims of human trafficking.
Eat Me Guilt Free
The luscious lips that adorn the packaging for Eat Me Guilt Free’s protein-packed baked goods reassure you that, yes, the innuendo you were imagining is completely on point. But so is the flavor founder Cristie Besu packs into the brownies, tortillas and protein breads she started making out of her home kitchen in 2013. Since then Eat Me Guilt Free has spread into over 3,000 stores nationwide, and this year Besu launched her You Glow, Girl grant campaign, helping to fund aspiring female entrepreneurs like herself.
How to support: Eat Me Guilt Free products are available at GNC and The Vitamin Shoppe, as well as online.
serendipity creamery
Long before Miami had a seeming invasion of gourmet ice cream shops, there was Serendipity, our little, local beachside creamery that has flavors from Panther Coffee, J. Wakefield, and Paradise Farms. Founder Jessica Levinson opened her shop just a couple blocks off the beach in Surfside, bringing 24 flavors of certified kosher ice cream to local residents, plus a full line of vegan sorbets.
How to support: Stop into the shop.
The Doral Yard
Though we can all thank Della Heiman for bringing plant-based bowls to our attention long before Impossible meat was on every menu, her bigger and lesser-credited legacy are the culinary incubators she’s developed in Wynwood and now Doral. Though beloved, her hyper-creative Wynwood Yard was ultimately pushed out, but has moved its inventive spirit to Doral. Now, Heiman oversees the 20,000-square-foot space filled with cutting edge food concepts you won’t find elsewhere in South Florida.
How to support: Take your next lunch break at the Doral Yard. Or order from their vendors online.
Bunnie Cakes
Mariana Cortez remembers a time when finding vegan desserts wasn’t as easy as strolling into the neighborhood Whole Foods. That’s why when she struggled to find a vegan birthday cake for her dairly-allergic son, she decided to do it herself. The result ultimately became Bunnie Cakes, one of Miami’s most beloved bakeries, and one so good many of its customers have no idea it's vegan. After a long run in Wynwood, Bunnie Cakes has set up shop in Downtown Doral, offering more space to accommodate Cortez’s ever growing popularity.
How to support: Order pick up or delivery online, or visit the store.
Caja Caliente
Until a few years ago, nobody had any idea what a “Cuban taco” was. But thanks to Chef Mika Leon, it’s become as much a part of the Miami culinary landscape as cafecitos. Leon’s massively popular Wynwood food truck birthed her current brick and mortar where you can get lechon and vaca frita tacos, plus massive bowls of those meats plus alligator and octopus. During quarantine, Leon also started hosting cooking classes on her Instagram live, and is in the process of penning a virtual cookbook.
How to support: Head to the physical store at 808 Ponce de Leon Blvd. in Coral Gables or the Design District food truck at 95 NE 40th St. You can also order online.
Dr. Patty's Dental Boutique
Somehow, going to the dentist got lumped in with doing taxes and sitting in traffic as one of life’s great unplesantries. But Dr. April Patterson, one of two black students in her dental school, is shifting our perception, bringing a salon-like experience to the world of dental care. Instead of old copies of Highlights, Dt. Patty’s waiting room includes a wine and coffee bar, as well as hot towel service and a temple massage. The experience is so enjoyable, you may start confusing people when you refer to a relaxing day at the spa as “pulling teeth.”
How to support: Make an appointment and strangely look forward to going to the dentist.
Friends of the Underline
If you’ve made it out and enjoyed the new urban green space that’s been dubbed “Brickell’s backyard,” you have Meg Daly to thank. After breaking both her arms in a bike accident, she became a regular Metrorail rider, and noticed the massive space under the tracks could be put to better use. Her dream was The Underline, a mix of bike paths, green space, and exercise areas stretching 10 miles down the Metrorail. Her nonprofit, Friends of the Underline, has been the driving force behind its development. And as its first phase opened this month we’ve gotten a sense of what a magnificent addition it will be to the Magic City.
How to support: You can donate online, or just go use the park.
Frangipani Design Store
“Sustainability” is a word you hear thrown around a lot, pertaining to everything from eating utensils to the bathrooms at Hard Rock Stadium. This gift store owned by Jennifer Frehling sources sustainable stuff in more categories than you could imagine, offering everything from organic pima cotton ties to candles covered in plantable wildflower seed paper. Each item is from a small business too, so buying here is like a two-for-one when you’re trying to shop small.
How to support: Order online or visit the store.
If Eye Ever
Original eyewear is as much a part of one's look as unusual shoes or colorful hats. Jamaican-born Suzan McDowell and Glaja Mayne know this all too well, and have developed a line of lensless glass frames wrapped in conversation-starting African fabrics. The frames give anyone wearing them a signature style without having to look past their nose, and most recently were featured at Dwyane Wade’s Pop-up Shop in Wynwood.
How to order: You can find the frames at bazaars and festivals all over the city, or you can order online.