Shop From BIPOC-Owned Businesses At The Multicultural Collective

ENCINITAS, CA — The public can now shop at the Multicultural Collective & Community Center, a subsidized co-op where BIPOC-owned businesses can showcase their products.

The space is open Saturday through Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 1900 N Coast Highway, Encinitas. It is operated by Encinitas4Equality, a nonprofit that seeks to educate, organize and mobilize the community to dissemble structural racism, systemic inequities and oppression through solidarity and service.

Officials recently marked the opening of the shop with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

"I'm thrilled to support the ribbon cutting of the Encinitas4Equality store in Leucadia," Mayor Catherine Blakespear said at the ceremony. "This great organization is adding important elements to our city's fabric."

In the near future, officials are also planning to use the space as a free tutoring venue for underserved youth who "may be facing the hardships of COVID-19 without access to learning pods or other safe learning opportunities," according to its website.

Teachers and volunteers will provide academic support services free of charge at the center for kindergarten-5th grade students, the website said. Students will receive one-on-one tutoring in reading, writing and math, and Spanish-speaking tutors will be available.

The center is also used for outdoor community gatherings, the website said, describing it as a place "to come together safely, educate ourselves and mobilize into action," the website said.