We had the good fortune of connecting with Christa Esquibel and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Christa, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
When I became a 1st time mom, in 2004, I knew I wanted to stay home with my daughter. I was searching for something that would allow me to make an income without needing any daycare. I explored many stay at home options, but none really stuck as a passion for me. Myself, my sister in law, my sister & my mom all got together and we wanted to showcase our own things and bring local goods to our community, while supporting other moms doing the same. So it organically came about and as soon as we had our first front yard Farmers market, I knew I loved it. Being able to create a space that supported small, local businesses & work side by side with other creative entrepreneur Mommas had my heart!
What should our readers know about your business?
We decided to start a “Mommas market” / “Farmers market”, in Peoria in my moms front yard back in 2007. We had about 12 momma owned business and we all had our babies in carriers. Set up A frames on the street, passed out flyers and hoped for the best. There were really no Farmers markets in the west valley, so we weren’t really sure what to expect. It went way better than we had hoped! We knew it was too big of an idea to be in the front yard for long! So we found a spot that we would call home for a long time shortly after. We went from a market once a month with 20-30 vendors, to a weekly market with 50-60 vendors within a couple years. We were lucky enough to get a sponsorship the 1st 2 years in business. If we didn’t have that support, we may not have made it through. The first 2 years held lots of big expenses and start up costs. It took almost 5 years to make an actual income. I actually waited tables for income while we started & grew/funded the business. There were times that we wondered why we were trying so hard, for sure. But the passion and fire was still there and I knew I didn’t want to quit. My family officially passed the torch to me and I became sole owner of the business a few years in. We had worked with food trucks at the market and I really wanted to bring a fun food truck event to the west valley too. So Food Truck Friday West was born in 2011. That was a whirlwind and took off seemingly over night. It was so great to see the community come together like that and be excited about supporting local trucks! Over the years I’ve been able to hire other moms to work with me and that’s rewarding in and of itself. My #1 gal for 12+ years now is my friend Tiffani who was actually waiting tables with me when I started the business. We were even pregnant at the same time (my 2nd, her 1st) while waiting tables. I pulled her in to help and she is the best blessing that I’ve ever been given within this business, hands down! We have watched our kids grow up together and been through all the ups and downs you can imagine. She is the most loyal and incredible friend/employee and really helped encourage me to grow over the years. There have been so many challenges through the last 16 years that it would be crazy to list them all! Laughter, tears, frustration and joy. Trying to balance a small business and home life has always been challenging but equally as rewarding. I don’t know if I’ll ever find the perfect balance, but having a support system that encourages you and laughs & crys with you is essential. In a time of convenience, most people don’t think about supporting small businesses first. Getting the community to show up to events and shop with local growers, small businesses & food trucks has never stopped being challenging. Actually it’s almost gotten harder as the years have gone on, believe it or not.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Well, of course I will take them to Food Truck Friday West, the Arrowhead Farmers Market Saturday morning and North Peoria Farmers Market Sunday morning, since those are my community events. I’d also take them to my brothers coffee shop in Phoenix (The Coffee builders). Literally the coolest coffee shop in AZ! We may see a show at the Arizona Broadway Theater and then hike north mountain and watch the sunset over the valley!
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My 3 amazing daughters are the drive behind starting my business. They are my motivation every day! I wouldn’t have come up with the concept without my sister in law (Emy), my sister (Cassidy) and my mom (Cindy)! We all started the business together and they passed the touch to me along the way. They are also my biggest cheerleaders & supporters from day 1!
Website: GetLocalArizonaEvents.com
Instagram: Instagram.com/GetLocalAZfarmersmarkets
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Image Credits
Lisa Knoeble photography Paul Serna Film / photo Elite Event Services drone images