ESCONDIDO, Calif. (KGTV) — A holiday market in unincorporated Escondido is showcasing Southern California vendors as small businesses navigate high costs and the state of the economy heading into the holiday season.
The Makers and Shakers Holiday Market is held at Rancho Guejito Vineyard in unincorporated Escondido and features 30 vendors this month.
Danielle Williamson is one of those vendors, with a side business she calls Cultured Crumbs. She makes bread in Normal Heights alongside her main job as a therapist.
"I have sourdough starters from around the world, and today we've brought three …," Williamson said.
"I had to do a side hustle to keep it up. Therapy is my passion, but sourdough is also my passion, so combining them both, making people happy," Williamson added.
Williamson has had to raise prices because of the high costs to make her breads.
"Normally loaves used to be 10 [dollars], now they're 12 [dollars]," Williamson said.
The market's organizer, Jasmine Noyce, said the economy has hurt spending, so she's keeping her vendor fees low.
"We've kept our fees on the lower end, so like the $85 and $120 range for the different booth sizes, so that we're not charging an arm and a leg to come out and vend," Noyce said.
Noyce launched the market five years ago.
"We've seen less spending, but the spirit is still here. Small business is still thriving, and we're just trying to connect the community with small businesses," Noyce said.
For Williamson, the market is also about building camaraderie with her fellow business owners.
"You get to know your customers, you get to know your other vendors, um, and you get to build a community," Williamson said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
