Kanitha Matoury, our esteemed and lovely store-owner, is the Heart and Soul behind Howden Market. In 2007 Kanitha came to Webster at the 17th Street block in Downtown Oakland and opened Spice Monkey Restaurant and Bar, with the vision of a community activation space that housed local music and comedy shows.

With the love for the community and the vision to provide more spaces, Kanitha opened Howden Market in 2015.

There have been many changes over the years, as we adapted to the needs of our ever-evolving neighborhood.

Howden Market first began as a deli/dafe and grocery store. Eventually ,The Uptown Construction corridor required us to pivot our offerings to pre-packaged, ready-to-go meals to serve the construction workers who were building the highrise apartment and office complexes that surround the neighborhood. Shortly after, the pandemic hit and the world shifted; and again we pivoted to serve our neighborhood at a time when groceries essentials were a valuable necessity.... particularly toilet paper! We had changed our layout to implement safety measures and safely kept our doors open.

But then in 2021, a drunk driver crashed directly into the market. Fortunately, no customers or employees were hurt but we were forcibly closed for 11 months, just shy of a year and when we reopened. But we're back and better than ever! And we've recreated ourselves once again.

Despite these changes, we continue to strive to be the heart of the Oakland downtown community.. a one-stop market where we hug, smile for, and love one another as a community --a heart market if you will.