Ayesha Curry’s store accused of denigrating Oakland by closing over ‘safety’ concerns

Not long after Bay Area news outlets reported Monday that Ayesha Curry was closing her Sweet July store in Oakland, “in order to prioritize the safety” of customers and workers, the story went national in publications that are happy to portray the city as so overrun by crime and chaos that it has driven out one of its favorite celebrity entrepreneur

Perhaps unwittingly, Curry, a longtime advocate of the city, has contributed to the negative narrative about what the Daily Mail calls “lawless Oakland.” That isn’t sitting well with some residents and business owners who say the city has been making positive changes in the past year, especially with a reported 33% drop in violent and property crimes in 2024 from the year before.

They also question whether Curry’s Uptown home goods store and cafe was struggling for reasons other than crime and “safety,” including what they say was a lack of customer “foot traffic” at its 23rd Street location, between Broadway and Telegraph Avenue.

“Just because (the Sweet July store) is closing, it doesn’t mean it has something to do with crime,” said Ken Houston, executive director of the nonprofit Beautification Council, which cleans up areas around encampments. “It could be financial. It could (just) be not working. Just because she’s a Curry doesn’t mean that her business operation was financially viable.”

“Things are changing but people like to put the negative on top of it because they’ve got to have an ugly duckling and they’re trying to make Oakland an ugly duckling,” Houston continued.

The entrepreneurial wife of Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry opened her flagship store and cafe in Oakland for her Sweet July retail brand in 2021. At the time, she said the brick-and-mortar space would be her “love letter” to the “town that has embraced and supported her.” The cookbook author, restaurateur, TV chef and lifestyle influencer also explained that the brand’s name comes from the month of her wedding to Steph Curry and the month in which three of her four children were born. In an interview, Curry said she chose a storefront in a two-block corridor between Broadway and Telegraph because the area housed other businesses owned by Black women. She aimed for her store to be a lifestyle “hub” and “community,” offering products and ideas “for the home and the self,” on a range of topics, including “food, beauty, wellness, faith, style, female empowerment and entrepreneurship.”

But four years later, Sweet July’s Oakland storefront dream has ended as the company announced on Instagram that it had “made the difficult decision to close” the location as of Feb. 9, due to “safety” concerns. The post said, “We have loved being a part of Oakland and are grateful for the community that has opened their arms and embraced us. It has been an honor to serve you.”

Representatives for Ayesha Curry and Sweet July did not respond to a request for information about specific incidents that spurred safety concerns. Oakland police reported one incident, an Oct. 1, 2022 burglary during which a thief shattered a front glass window and took several items from the store. End-of-2024 statistics from the Oakland police show that overall crime in “Area 2,” or Uptown and North Oakland, was down 38% from the previous year, with a 25% drop in violent crime and robberies and burglaries down 17% and 51%, respectively.

Meanwhile, it appears that Curry found what appears to be a amenable location to open her second Sweet July cafe. She opened a cafe in the luxury Regent Hotel in Santa Monica, Essence reported. 

The store closure’s has spurred a range of reactions, from people online and in response to queries from this news organization. Some lamented that crime, or what they perceive as a lack of city support, could have played a role in the store’s closure. “Your beautiful space was a much needed bright light in the City of Oakland,” one person said.

Clothing designer Taylor Jay expressed sympathy for the store’s situation, as she said that two break-ins forced her to close her brand’s brick-and-mortar location in Rockridge in 2024. She said the loss of Sweet July and other nearby Black-owned businesses on Broadway represent more than economic losses. “They’re cultural losses, stripping Oakland of the very essence that has made it such a vibrant and community driven city,” said Jay

While Jay acknowledged that the departure of high-profile businesses creates the perception that the city is “a lost cause,” she said this narrative “isn’t the full picture.” She’s kept the doors open at her Broadway location, about a block from Sweet July, “not just as a business but as a pillar of resilience for the community. I believe in this city, and I know that thriving here is still possible with the right support.”

Others expressed anger that Sweet July appeared to wrongly blame the city for its woes.  One critic said they had operated two successful home retails stores in Oakland for nearly two decades, writing that Oakland is “a great city with incredible business.” This person also said, “Shame on @sweetjuly for bashing our town!”

In interviews with this news organization, several people who live or operate businesses nearby didn’t see the neighborhood as unsafe, even with a nearby encampment for unhoused people. “It’s a beautiful community,” said Nanette Mervin, the owner of Cord and Company vintage furniture shop at the corner of 23rd Street and Telegraph. “We’ve had our problems but I haven’t seen an uptick in crime. I just feel like the media is scaring people away from Oakland.”

Isaac Pena, the assistant community director for Gallery 459, which manages several apartment buildings in the area, including one next door to Sweet July, also said he hasn’t noticed anything “out of the ordinary,” crime-wise. In fact, Pena said he thought that Sweet July had addressed its concerns by having security guards regularly posted at the business.

A sales and marketing executive who has lived in the same block as Sweet July since before it opened said she never felt that the store tried to integrate itself into the neighborhood. She faulted the store for not always keeping regular business hours and charging  “ridiculous” prices for some goods, such as $130 for a hoodie with the Sweet July logo. She added that Curry didn’t seem to be much of a presence, and only remembers her turning up when the store closed down the street for her to do a photo shoot.

Sweet July has not shared whether other factors played a role in its decision to close, including challenges that have beset many brick-and-mortar retailers. Journalists also have chronicled how a company’s association with a famous name doesn’t guarantee success, reporting on an over-saturated global market for star-sponsored brands and noting that even Gwyneth Paltrow, the original celebrity lifestyle guru, has struggled in recent years with lay-offs and store closures at her Goop company.

Others wonder if Curry just has so much going on across a plethora of industries. She’s known for her cookbooks, TV appearances, International Smoke restaurant partnership with chef Michael Mina and her philanthropy with Steph Curry on behalf of Oakland schools. Meanwhile, her Sweet July brand encompasses a production company, a publishing house, a quarterly magazine and a skincare line. Haute Beauty reported in January that she might want to do some acting. Two days after Sweet July announced the store’s closure, she and her sister-in-law Sydel Curry-Lee were featured in Bon Apetit, talking about balancing parenthood with running their luxury Domaine Curry winery.

Critics also pointed out that Curry’s businesses don’t always succeed, with her and Mina’s International Smoke empire closing five locations since 2016. The latest closure at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas was announced earlier this month, leaving just the San Francisco restaurant.

Staff writer Harry Harris contributed to this report.