Small businesses showcase products at Bakersfield second Saturday event
The view of the market from The Hen’s Roost garage.
April 2, 2022
The city of Bakersfield had a second Saturday on March 12, 2022 downtown at the farmers market. The event had some small businesses showcasing their supplies and products. One of the small businesses named Sensational Escentials, a business that sells bath bombs, soaps, candles, and whipped body butters is run by a woman named Victoria Johns.
Johns said that she started her business in the middle of the COVID-19. She had knee surgery which kept her from working, so she wondered what she could do at home to make money.
Johns has been managing this business for almost two years, and has been at the farmers market since October of 2021. Johns said the hardest parts of managing this business are the time management and adding more to her collection.
Her most sold products are candles, whipped body butters, and whipped soaps, as for scents her best-selling is the MILF scent for all of the products.
Another small business is Plants for Your Solie, Owned by Solie Baltazar. Baltazar started her business during the pandemic as well and has been doing this for a year.
According to Baltazar the hardest part is “being motivated to just keep pushing yourself.” Baltazar said that sometimes “we all kind of get a little discouraged, we get a little overwhelmed,” but the outcome is better than giving up.
Baltazar said she has a true love for what she does so it doesn’t feel like work. Baltazar explained how she grew up around plants; her dad always had plants, fresh thyme, and fresh mints.
Philip Beltran started his business, Brother Ray’s Salsa and Seasoning, when he lost his job and couldn’t find work roughly 10 years ago. Now, a decade later, Beltran is doing business at the farmers market and has shared “This is where I get to stand in front of the customers and this is our feedback.”
Beltran said he and his employees are usually in a production kitchen so this is where they spend time with his customers. The hardest part of having a business like this is the pandemic and rising prices.
Another small business is Heavyn’s treat, run by Dion Gayles and Delanna Gayles. This business has been running since October of 2021.
One of the greatest struggles has been people not supporting.
Some of the items on the menu are: peach cobbler, whole coffee cake, a slice of carrot cake/red velvet with buttercream, caramel chocolate apple smothered in Oreos.
