Oakland, California · Our field notes
About Bay EconRoots
Who we are
We are two high school students from Oakland, California, who want to help preserve the stories of small businesses across the Bay Area. As seniors at Bishop O’Dowd High School, we aim to accurately portray the unique experiences of every person we interview. We are incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to learn about the diverse backgrounds of small shops and restaurants, as well as their challenges, successes, and growth over time.
Why we started
We came up with the idea for Bay EconRoots while sitting at a café on Telegraph Avenue our sophomore year. We were hoping to combine both of our interests—history and economics—into a project that illustrated our care for the community. We began drafting ideas for our future project, and finally landed on interviewing small businesses in the Bay Area to research their history and economic development. That same day, we wrote a list of several businesses we could interview, and shortly after, sent emails to showcase our interest.
How we work
We begin by reaching out to small, growing companies in our proximity. We provide several options for interview formats—emails, phone calls, or in-person meetings—so that businesses are able to easily communicate with us. Once the owners or staff agree to be interviewed, we send or directly ask a small set of questions to gather the information we need. Lastly, we spend a dedicated amount of time writing and depicting their responses, as well as making necessary edits on our website.
What we hope people take from it
We strive to expand our work to other youth who are interested in financial or historical fields of study. As students of color, we additionally aim to emphasize the distinctive cultures, backgrounds, and lifestyles across the Bay Area. We admire the hard work of all small-business owners, and hope that our work demonstrates their efforts to broader communities.
Get in touch
bayecoroots@gmail.com