Skip to Search Skip to Live Player Skip to Content Skip to Footer

7 Women-Owned Businesses In Tampa Bay You Need To Visit

Author Jen Glorioso

March is Women’s History Month. We can’t think of a better way to celebrate than highlighting some of the best women-owned businesses in Tampa Bay. Here are (some) of our favorites.

You can find a full directory of women-owned businesses in Tampa at visittampabay.com. That’s where we got our inspiration and some names on our list. We love supporting local businesses whenever we can and always suggest doing so. I mean would you rather eat at a chain restaurant or a local spot that uses fresh ingredients and is a part of the community?

More and more women-owned businesses are growing in the Tampa area. A report from 2022 shows that 21% of businesses in the Tampa area are female-owned. That equates to about 13,535 businesses! According to the 2023 U.S. Census data, Women-owned businesses around the country had an estimated $2.1 trillion in revenue. TRILLION! They also created 10.5 million jobs and almost $500 BILLION in payroll.

Here are 7 Women-Owned Businesses In Tampa Bay To Support During Women’s History Month

You can (and should) support these businesses year-round. But be sure to show them some love this month!

  1. Psomi – One of Tampa’s staple restaurants is owned by Christina Theofilos. Psomi was featured on Good Morning America last year to battle for the best pie. See Psomi’s homemade menu here, or follow them on Instagram.

2.  Bake’n Babes – No trip to Armature Works is complete without bringing home a cookie from Bake’n Babes. Owned by Julie Curry who creates the most insane over-the-top shakes and cookies. Last year we tried the cheesecake stuffed cookie and have been dreaming about it ever since. You can find more info on Bake’n Babes here.

3.  Urban Kai – Owned by Aimee Conlee and her husband, Urban Kai is one of the best and most convenient ways to get a workout in Tampa. They offer equipment like paddleboards and kayaks, training, private lessons, and tour guides. If you ever want to see Downtown Tampa from a different perspective, we suggest a day trip down the Hillsborough River.

4. Shiso Crispy – One of my favorite food trucks of all time is female-owned! Ronicca Whaley is the owner of Shiso Crispy, an Asian-American fusion food truck with multiple locations in Tampa Bay. Ronicca has also been featured on the Food Network and has competed in Guy’s Grocery Games TWICE! Trust me when I say the bang-bang chicken will change your late-night food cravings forever. Keep your eyes peeled because she should be announcing her brick and motar location opening any day now!

Bang bang chicken from Shiso Crispy food truck Women-Owned Businesses Tampa

5. Poison Ivy Ink –  Founded in August 2021 by Emaline Taylor, Poison Ivy Ink is a woman owned and operated Tattoo and Piercing company with locations in Tampa and St. Pete. They strive to make their shops a safe and inclusive space. If you’re wanting some new ink, check them out here.

6. Sucré Table – A gourmet bakery located off Kennedy Blvd is owned by award-winning baker and Tampa local Brenda Villacorta. I tried her caramel apple pie for Thanksgiving this year, and let’s just say I’ll be ordering one every year from now on.

caramel apple pie Women-Owned Businesses Tampa Bay

7. Supreme Beauty Lab – If you’re looking for a new spot to get your nails done, I highly recommend this hole-in-the-wall salon. All of their nail techs specialize in detailed nail art and can recreate any inspo you give them. They also offer other services like hair services, skin care, waxing, brow specialties.

Jen was born and raised in the Tampa Bay area. She’s been with Beasley Media Group since 2022. In her spare time, you can find her at Tampa Bay Lightning games, Tampa Bay breweries, or the beach. Catch up on Jen’s content about the highest-rated restaurants/bars in Tampa, things-to-do around the area, and upcoming concerts.

9 Empowering Songs For Women

Women rule the world in many ways. In music, these female artists have contributed one, many, or all of their songs to elevate, empower, and inspire other women. There is something about the power of media and art that has a long-lasting impact on women and girls from all around the world that transcends language and time.

What Women’s History Month Is About

With March being Women’s History Month, we observe how women have contributed to history and changed the lives of others. For us, music is so powerful for something that doesn’t require your eyes but to listen. This year’s theme celebrates “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.” This theme recognizes women throughout the country who understand the need to eliminate bias and discrimination from individuals’ lives and institutions for a positive future, said the National Women’s History Alliance.

Women’s History Month began as a local celebration in Santa Rosa, California as a “Women’s History Week” in 1978. The organizers selected the week of March 8 to correspond with International Women’s Day. The movement spread across the country as other communities initiated their own Women’s History Week celebrations the following year.

In 1980, an association of women’s groups and historians, led by the National Women’s History Project (now the National Women’s History Alliance), successfully lobbied for national recognition. In February 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first Presidential Proclamation declaring the Week of March 8, 1980 as National Women’s History Week. Since then, many activists and advocates have continually pushed Congress to recognize the achievements of women in the United States.

Through a lot of hard work and perseverance, International Women’s Day eventually turned into Women’s History Week in 1982. Following that accomplishment, the official Women’s History Month website states: “Throughout the next five years, Congress continued to pass joint resolutions designating a week in March as ‘Women’s History Week.’ In 1987, after being petitioned by the National Women’s History Project, Congress passed Pub. L. 100-9, which designated the month of March 1987 as ‘Women’s History Month.’”

Empowering Songs For Women:

We celebrate Women’s History Month to remind everyone of the achievements of women throughout the years in our culture and society, and why it’s important to study them and their important moments in history. Keep scrolling to see our top 9 picks of the most empowering songs for women across all genres:

  • 'God is a woman' - Ariana Grande

    Ever since Ari came out with this banger in 2018, we love referring to God as a woman. Our little pop queen makes us feel so powerful and sensual while listening to this powerful track, and it hits to this day. When she released the music video, she dedicated it to “my fellow goddesses who work their a–es off every day to ‘break the glass ceiling.'” And we’re still doing it.

  • 'You Don't Own Me' - Lesley Gore

    This 1963 track by the “It’s My Party” singer is an anthem for a woman declaring control over our own lives. From her body and her choices, the song is still relevant more than half a century later. Thanks to TikTok and singing competitions, this song is still pretty well known six decades after it was a hit. We think this is an important and catchy song that incites power within a woman.

  • 'Survivor' - Destiny' Child

    Destiny’s Child and Beyoncé have served us with countless female empowerment bops for decades. “Survivor” comes to the top of our minds and lists when thinking of the trio’s most powerful song for women. Knowles said of the songwriting process: “It was all about what survival means for women, and how hard it is to be one when there are people out there who are trying to bring you down.” She further commented on its concept in an interview with MTV in which she stated that “Survivor” was “basically about surviving different situations. Everyone in this world that I know, they’ve survived something, and I know the song is definitely inspirational. It really makes you feel strong and it really makes you feel like you can survive anything.”

  • 'Bad Reputation' - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts

    Rock star Joan Jett is a feminist icon and everyone has to have heard this song, as it had been featured in ads and movie soundtracks over and over since it released in 1980. The song has been featured in 1999’s 10 Things I Hate About You, the TV show Freaks and Geeks, Shrek, and the opening theme for the 2023 movie Red, White & Royal Blue. Over forty years later, this unapologetic track has remained a timeless, powerful anthem.

  • 'Bitch Better Have My Money' - Rihanna

    Rihanna may not be a singer first and foremost any more, but every time we put this song on, we feel absolutely unstoppable. Even if no one owes you money, you bet your bottom dollar that belting along to this while imagining someone who owes you cash is the most fun thing ever. Throw on this fierce 2015 track and let it all out, girl. As it has been widely reported, Ri-Ri actually wrote this track about her former accountant who left her “effectively bankrupt,” sued the accountant, and won millions.

  • 'I'm Every Woman' - Chaka Khan

    Chaka Khan’s 1978 R&B/soul smash was the singer’s debut single from her debut album. She wanted everyone to know that she’s every woman, and it’s all in her, as it is in all of us. The song has been so impactful, Whitney Houston covered the song in 1992 for The Bodyguard soundtrack. Chaka appeared in Whitney’s music video, among other powerful women. It’s hard to pick a favorite version, because both women sing this song from the soul and makes us feel so happy to be a woman.

  • 'Unwritten' - Natasha Bedingfield

    It really doesn’t matter if you like pop music or not. Natasha Bedingfield’s 2004 track is a universally beautiful track that fans of any genre can relate to. The lyricism alone is what gets us every time when the English singer’s chorus comes in: “Reaching for something in the distance, so close you can almost taste it, release your inhibitions, feel the rain on your skin. No one else can feel it for you, only you can let it in.”

  • 'Just A Girl' - No Doubt

    Gwen Stefani originally wrote this 1995 song as an act of rebellion of a woman against her strict parents who wouldn’t let her drive late at night. The anthem is the lead single from the band’s third studio album, Tragic Kingdom, and is regarded as being the breakthrough song that popularized No Doubt. The accompanying music video reflects the theme, with her bandmates living wildly in a messy bathroom while hers is pristine.

  • 'This One's For The Girls' - Martina McBride

    This 2003 country has became an anthem for young women when McBride sang the lines “Hold on to on to your innocence, stand your ground when everybody’s givin’ in.” If you’ve never heard the track, it makes us think of Shania Twain’s “Man! I Feel Like A Woman!” What we love about McBride’s track, though, is how it really feels like a song telling a story giving a younger version of ourselves advice, and that resonates so much more. In an interview with Billboard back in 2017, McBride said that although the song was an “immediate no-brainer” and fun to record, she also had something to say. “It felt like such a positive message, and it’s still one of my favorite songs to do live. It’s like a shot of energy that goes through the crowd.” McBride’s daughters, Delaney and Emma, sang background vocals alongside fellow country singers Carolyn Dawn Johnson and Faith Hill.

Sign Up For The Shark Tank Newsletter

Get the latest Classic Rock and Tampa/St. Pete stories you need to know about, plus exclusive contests, games, and more!

*
By clicking "Subscribe" I agree to the website's terms of Service and Privacy Policy. I understand I can unsubscribe at any time.
Author Jen Glorioso
Category:
Tags:
,,

More 98.7 The Shark

Load More