Shoppers are being encouraged to support Asian-owned businesses this month as part of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
To mark the occasion, Yelp is putting the national spotlight on a couple of D.C.-region businesses.
Gwenie’s Pastries in Rockville, Maryland, is on Yelp’s national list of a dozen Asian-owned businesses that ship their products across the country.
“We make a variety of items … from cheesecakes, to cupcakes and cakes, and also our traditional Filipino baked goods,” owner Stella Fernandez told WTOP. (The business is named after her mother, Gwen.)
One way they sell is through Amazon, and Fernandez said sales through the site are up since the Yelp list came out.
She also said she appreciates the support amid a climate of anti-Asian hate.
“It’s a really scary thing, not just for Asian-owned businesses but for every Asian that’s having to … experience this,” she said.
Nook, in Arlington, Virginia, which sells children’s items, also made Yelp’s list.
