What I do | How I did it

Hey there lovelies! Happy Monday. Hope you had an amazing weekend. If you follow me on any of my social sites, then you probably already know that my weekend was quite full. Lots of work, but plenty of pleasure mixed in as well. As my Father-in-law said to me on Sunday, "You like to get in as many things in your 24 hours as possible." He would be correct....I do try to squeeze the most out of my days.

I wanted to do a post today on the work that I do. Lately, I've been getting asked a specific question, so I wanted to address it and give an answer. I'm always on snap chat (bohogyrl) or instagram posting about my Wednesday's and Friday's at The Heritage Farmers Market, and folks always ask what do I sell? I've done an interview about it here, but I wanted to give some insight on the blog as to what it is that I do.

I actually sell a service or an experience as I like to call it. My hubby and I own a collective of farmers markets...3 of them to be exact. We curate local sellers and farmers to set-up vendor booths in an outdoor setting to give the community an opportunity to gather, shop local, share recipes, and curate their own fresh offerings every week. We have 2 year-a-round markets that happen on Wednesday's in Chino Hills from 4-8 PM at The Shoppes in Chino Hills, and Friday's at Victoria Gardens from 10 - 2 PM in Rancho Cucamonga. Our 3rd farmers market, which includes a concert series runs from May to August each year in Ontario. I primarily oversee the daily operations of the markets (thats why you'll most likely always see me onsite), and we have an amazing Assistant Manager, Muezette who helps keep us sane and looking more organized than we sometimes are...Lol!

I know it sounds weird to own a farmers market. However, it's just like owning a grocery store except ours are outdoors...lol! Here's the short version of how we got started in this business. What seems like many moons ago, my husband and I lived in a suburban neighborhood about 40 miles east of Los Angeles and we longed for a farmers market in our area. We both grew up in communities where families knew each other and gathered often, so we wanted that same experience in our new neighborhood. So, we selfishly decided to fill our void of wanting to be connected to others by starting a small farmers market in the area. We clearly were unaware of the obstacles ahead of us, but pushed through with our plan as we always do because we are bull-headed Taurus'. Lol!

Heritage Farmers Market @ Victoria Gardens 10-2 PM every Friday

We did tons of research including finding a mentor, which proved to be one of the keys to our success in this business. We located a place we believed would be highly trafficked, built a report with the property manager there, pitched the idea of acquiring the space 1-day a week to host a farmers market, and then went out to local farms to see if any growers would be interested in participating. There's a whole bunch of other crazy stuff in between the start to beginning stage (Including money, permits, paperwork, and politics), but with lots of determination and hard work, we started our first market in 2011. It has been a crazy journey. We have started several markets over the years and closed them in less than a year. We've learned so much along the way and the road has not always been easy. After 5 years of trying multiple directions for our business, I think we finally have the formula that works. We really are grateful for what we have, but we've also worked really hard and sacrificed a lot to be able to do what we love. It's so amazing to realize that our tenacity and drive has lead us to now own 3 successful farmers markets, in 3 different cities! Our largest market is in Rancho Cucamonga, Ca. and has 16 farmers and 20 other specialty vendors.  Our goal is to have an indoor public farmers market that operates daily with local farms, a wine bar, and other specialty artisan vendors.

In addition to co-owning The Heritage Farmers Market with my hubby, I also co-own A Toast 2 Artistry which is a paint and sip company in Los Angeles. My business partner and I operate the business out of a cool loft near the downtown area where we host up to 30 parties per month. We've started expanding and hosting other unique events like yoga classes, henna parties, cake decorating, and more. You can follow all that we do on Instagram.

A Toast 2 Artistry Studio

So, I hope that you all have a better understanding of what it is that I do. So when you see me jumping from wearing my sun hat at the farmers market, to an apron splattered with paint, you'll know that I'm switching from one biz hat to the next and I'm not losing my mind....Lol!

Feel free to ask any other questions you may have or check out the interview I did a while back for more tips and information. You can also leave your questions in the comment section below or email me at bohemianspiritjewelry@gmail.com :)

Heritage Farmers Market | Instagram & Facebook | Heritagefarmersmarket.org
A Toast 2 Artistry | Instagram & Facebook | Atoast2artistry.bigcartel.com

My Top 5 Tips on starting a Biz:

1. Do your research! Learn all you can about the biz you are starting.
2. Find a mentor. Someone that can lend their expertise and be prepared to pay for their knowledge.
3. Don't rush. If your plan will take a year to develop...take the time needed.
4. Start small and grow. Don't be so eager to look "big" so fast.
5. Be prepared to work harder than you ever have in life.