Lightning in a Bottle is known as Kern County’s music festival, but it is also host to many vendors from food to clothes, which is one the things the founders of The DoLab are adamant about including in their festival. The founders and brothers have worked to make the festival an all-around experience.

“So right from the start, for us, it wasn’t about just having music on a stage. It was about being able to run around, have fun, get lost in whatever the experience is,” Dede Flemmings stated in an interview with Forbes.

This year the experience includes vendors such as Enlighten Clothing Co. The business owned by Justin Chamberlain, is not limited to just clothes, they have fans, pashminas, umbrellas, jewelry, crystals and a lot more. Him and his wife have built a family business that travels the nation from festivals back-to-back such as this past week where they came from EDC in Las Vegas straight to Lightning in a Bottle.

While at Lightning in a Bottle, Chamberlain has described it as a “wonderful experience.” He explained how the people at the festival have been great and the environment itself has been really wonderful too. Inspired by their community of festival attendees while looking for a sense of direction, Justin and his wife decided they would give the festival life a try.

“I looked at some of her [his wife] work and ‘I’m like you’re super talented and you’re going forward in this’.”

Together they travel to many different festivals all around like EDC in Las Vegas, Lost Lands in Ohio, and Florida Groves Festival in Florida, with their pop up to share their art with everyone in the community who has helped them grow and be what they are. While they travel coast to coast and the places they go varies, Chamberlain says the people are the same no matter where they go.

“Even though they’re [the festival attendees] heritage or their backgrounds might change, their attitudes are very much the same, so it’s like we’re always home wherever we go.” said Chamberlain.

Having vendors at music festivals like Enlighten Clothing Co at Lightning in a Bottle can be important for many vendors, festivals and festival attendees. Most of the vendors at Lightning in a Bottle this year were small business owners, which can help these small businesses grow in their customer market. Many festival attendees are also adamant about helping these small businesses grow in making what makes them feel good. Such as Serraya Hermosilla, who is an eight-year Lightning in a Bottle goer.

“People working the vendors, especially ones selling hand made things are so creative and special.” said Hermosilla. “All the artistic phenomena is what makes LIB my favorite festival!”

With many of these food vendors, festival attendees are able to replenish themselves with all the different varieties of food choices available to them. This year there were options such as grilled cheeses, acaí bowls, pizza, and even sushi. Hermosilla also described how through these food vendors she’s made “lifelong friends” some have even offered her food and fun conversation.

Not only does Lightning in a Bottle help promote these small businesses during their festival but also supports small artists. Throughout the festival artists were seen perched by trees, or outside stages, scattered all around the festival grounds working on their canvases. Artists used the festival days to work on their paintings throughout the day. On the last day, an auction was held in front of the Artclave where festival attendees could see all the final pieces. This held as a gallery walk and a place to join the auction for the many pieces seen throughout the festival once finally done. Many of these paintings sold anywhere from 600 to 2,000 dollars, and along with the auction to support these small artists, there was a donation to the Do Art Foundation which reached 24,799 dollars.

“Talking to those people [the artists] is awesome and watching them paint throughout the 5 days is an incredible experience to watch start to finish, then you get to see everyone’s pieces come together on the last day, it’s really something,” stated Hermosilla.

Lightning in a Bottle wrapped up the weekend at Buena Vista and tickets for next year’s festival are on sale now at their website https://www.libfestival.org/.