May is Asian American Pacific Islander Month and calls for celebration of our AAPI community. In true Long Beach fashion, the best way to celebrate is to expand your horizons and support local businesses. To help you out, here is a list of 5 Asian-owned businesses to check out!
KUBO LB
Located in the Business Corridor of Bixby Knolls, KUBO is a center for the creative community and a retail space accessible to small businesses. Co-Founders Jenn Estacio, Filipino-American, and Romeo support small businesses through retail and cultural opportunities, especially for BIPOC, Filipinx, women and LGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs. Estacio and Romeo found that operating space is a big challenge for small businesses. KUBO LB aims to be that space and gather community members for events open to everyone. They participate in Bixby Knolls First Fridays regularly and always have some sort of programming highlighting AAPI and Filipino culture. They also hold their own Merkado on the third Saturday of every month from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. supporting different small businesses, programming and workshops like Storytime. KUBO LB is the perfect place to shop for a variety of retail items and support small businesses as well.
I Luv Ur Buns
If you’re looking for a mouth-watering meal, then head over to I Luv Ur Buns; an Asian fusion street food restaurant whose concept surrounds the Chinese dish, bao. Co-founded by Sonya Suon, Cambodian-American, and her wife Mandy Bardisbanian, I Luv Ur Buns puts a global and unique twist on the traditional bao sporting flavors with Vietnamese, Korean, Thai and Cambodian origins. Sonya and Mandy were inspired by their honeymoon trip in Bali and Singapore finding themselves exposed to a diverse pallet of foods, including bao served in a sandwich bun form, not the traditional filled form. They then brought that concept of the handheld sandwich bao back to Long Beach. If you’re a foodie, you must stop by and try it out for yourself. On Sundays, they have a Sunday-Bunday deal where you buy a bun and get one free. Be sure to follow I Luv Ur Buns on Instagram as they are preparing to move locations and participate in Cambodian Restaurant Week this June
Space 555
With Summer approaching and the weather warming up, it may be time for a new hairdo. Stop by Space 555, a barbershop located on Fourth Street that provides hair color, braids, locs and barbering services. Owner Joya Bisquera, Filipino, opened Space 555 because of her passion for hair. She wanted to create a loving, open community ‘where hair meets art’ and thus on July 9, 2023, Space 555 came to be. The Space 555 team is made up of 5 braiders, barbers and locticians each with their own system for booking hair appointments. You can find their work on the Space 555 Instagram page and then book your appointment with the hair stylist of your choice.
San and Wolves Bakeshop
If you’re craving something sweet, head over to San and Wolves Bakeshop. Founded by Kym Estrada, Filipino, in Brooklyn, New York 2017, San and Wolves Bakeshop specializes in vegan Filipino baked goods. In 2016, Estrada was struck with inspiration after going to monthly vegan pop-ups in New York and finding a lack of Filipino goods. She started ‘veganizing’ her favorite Filipino pastries which later turned into her business. Everything at San and Wolves Bakeshop is soy-free, nut-free, made with organic sweeteners and made from scratch. Estrada noticed the community of Filipinos and Asian people going vegan was growing but there were still dishes they wanted to enjoy. San and Wolves Bakeshop hopes to fill that void so vegan Filipinos can still have a taste of their nostalgia whether it be through ube, bibingka, pandesal, pandan, biko or an assortment of kakanin. They also experiment with flavors and desserts hoping to inspire creativity and show that Filipino deserts are so much more than just traditional ube. San and Wolves Bakeshop stays involved with the community, doing pop-ups every week that are AAPI-themed, donating pastries to Filipino-owned stores opening this month and participating in the Fil Arts program celebrating Filipino chefs in the industry. So next time you want a dessert, check out San and Wolves Bakeshop.
Geeko Chicken
A true hidden gem, Geeko Chicken is a family-owned and operated shop located inside of Champ’s Deli Restaurant on East Willow Street. Opening just three months ago, Geeko Chicken specializes in Korean fried chicken and other street foods. Owner Peter Gi, Korean, noticed that there weren’t many Korean restaurants in Long Beach but rather in the neighboring cities like Lakewood. He wanted to bring the Korean food scene to Long Beach and began working on a menu consisting of his home recipes. While creating the menu Gi thought about how strong Korean flavors can be. Wanting to be first-timer friendly, Gi tweaked some of his recipes to be less overpowering. However, over time people started asking for those stronger flavors so Gi adjusted his menu all while staying true to his recipes. All of the chicken and sauces are homemade, something you can only ever find at family establishments like Geeko Chicken. Gi is excited to continue bringing Korean dishes to Long Beach and welcomes all to try and give feedback to the current menu. So be sure to stop by and get a good crunch from their crispy chicken.
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