Small Businesses make up the heart of Oakland. No matter where you are in The Town, on every commercial street there are sure to be locally owned businesses that will catch your eye. Here at Bishop O’Dowd, the local owners connected to the school that are just fantastic.
Farley’s Coffee, owned by Chris and Amy Hillyard, was established in 1989. They have two daughters currently at Bishop O’Dowd High School, Marin Hillyard 24’ and Makenna Hillyard 25’. Farley’s values are similar to those at O’Dowd—they care about love, connection, and community.
Farley’s Coffee has become a well-known and respected establishment in Oakland, CA. They have two locations, one located in Oakland and another in San Francisco. They serve coffee, tea, sandwiches, salads, pastries, and so much more. Through their food, you can feel the love and compassion they put into their work. Through their customer service and love for their community, they continue to succeed as one of the most popular coffee shops in Oakland.
Farley’s most popular drink is their lattes. Due to the September season kicking off fall, their seasonal favorite would be their pumpkin purée latte. If you are looking for something to eat, they’ve got that too. From their egg sandwich to their incredible chocolate chip sea salt cookies. If you are looking for a loving community with amazing food—Farley’s is the place.
A popular thing Farley’s enjoys doing is hosting their annual pet parade and costume contest every Halloween. This includes around a hundred dogs and owners parading the streets of Oakland in their best outfits. They also have special events on other holidays like the 4th of July and St. Patrick’s Day. Farley’s truly thrives to create the best environment possible for their customers and workers.
They seek to have a platform for creativity. They have an outdoor space at one of their locations that holds musicians, poets, and more to showcase their fantastic abilities. For decades, Farely’s continues to create a family where everyone is accepted.
Makenna Hillyard 25’ describes, “Our business is built on the idea of finding community through coffee. When my grandpa originally opened the cafe he didn’t want to sell coffee. Instead, he just was going to sell espresso parts until the earthquake and he started selling coffee to bring the community together and those values have always stuck with our cafes.” The idea that coffee would bring together an entire community is immensely heartwarming. A community like theirs is one Bishop O’Dowd thrives to have as well.
Hillyard continues, “Without our community, we don’t function and when things get hard, it isn’t the cafe that runs itself, it’s all of the employees and customers that continue to support us.” The importance of a community is what drives Farley’s to be the best business it can be. Farley’s cares about anyone and everyone. They welcome the world into their tight-knit community.
Supporting small businesses is immensely important in this economy, especially ones that connect to Bishop O’Dowd. They deserve the love and support from the Bishop O’Dowd community because of their hard work and dedication.
