Innovative entrepreneurs mingled with casual shoppers at the spring Sip and Shop in downtown Ramona on Saturday.
The event, held in the spring, summer and fall by Reds, Whites & Brews and The Rusted Poppy, gave shoppers a chance to make last-minute Easter gift purchases. More than a dozen vendors sold handmade crafts, pet supplies, children’s clothes, Western hats and more in the parking lot next to Reds, Whites & Brews.
“It was a successful event and the vendors did well,” said Reds, Whites & Brews owner Peter Bidegain.
From noon to 3 p.m. the Sun Valley String Band entertained visitors with bluegrass music. In the evening at an after-party the crowd was entertained by the Jason Winters Christian Rock Band inside a beer and wine garden, also known as The Haybarn. Food was catered by Tacos De Isaac.
Kimberly Allison, owner of the Ramona home-based business Kimberly Allison Ceramics, sold handmade mugs, planters, spoon rests, butter dishes and salt and pepper shakers. She said she learned to make pottery while attending San Diego Mesa College and continued to study the craft at the UC San Diego Craft Center before she graduated from the university in 2014.
“You don’t have to be a student to go to the UCSD Craft Center and make things,” she said at her booth. “It accommodates a lot of different mediums.”
The 11,000-square-foot facility on the La Jolla campus provides an environment where students, staff, faculty and the community can make jewelry/glass art, woodworking, mixed media and even surfboard shaping in addition to ceramics.
Allison also sold pot holders and tote bags she had sewn with a variety of fabrics and patterns.
Allison said her functional and colorful products incorporate art into everyday life.
“They bring a little joy and you can use them,” she said.
Another Sip and Shop vendor was a family business in which the children run the show.
Mom Lareina Perkins said their Winters Pantry freeze-dried treats business started three years ago when her girls – Chloe Perkins, Dakota Simonides and Madison Simonides – started making and selling fire starters out of pine cones, wax and flowers. The sales were successful and they earned enough money to buy a freeze dryer, she said.
Now the Ramona family makes and sells a variety of freeze-dried fruit and candy along with the fire starters. The fruit varieties include mango, cherry, apples, bananas and blueberries. The candies include Skittles, Werther’s, Twix, Charleston Chews, caramel M&Ms, Air Heads and ice-cream sandwiches.
“The kids are self-sufficient and they’re doing everything themselves,” Lareina Perkins said. “They go to the store and buy products and learn about pricing things correctly. They learned about organic versus nonorganic. We decided to go with organic products because it’s better for us and everybody else.”
The children earned two awards at the Santee Youth Business Fair – an Excellent Booth Presentation Award and a separate Green Thumb Award for their fire starters.
“The Winters Pantry business helps them learn how to communicate and be personable,” Perkins said. “It’s fun to watch as a parent. It makes me proud.”
Pet owners visiting Sip and Shop were drawn to Amanda King’s booth, which was stocked with animal supplies from the Diamond D Feed & Supply Co. store she owns with her husband, David King.
The brick-and-mortar store is at 444 D St., but the Kings carted a variety of dog toys, dog chews, animal outfits and treats for pets and chickens to their booth.
“We set up merchandise at events like this to promote dog items,” Amanda King said. “We’re trying to promote smaller animal products as well as livestock products.”
Alpine resident Brittany Roberson brought custom hats, jewelry, cups and kids’ clothes to her A Lil’ Boujee Boutique booth at Sip and Shop.
Roberson, who sells her products at special events such as the annual Christmas Tree Lighting in Ramona, said this was her fourth time selling items at the Sip and Shop.
“Sales were kind of quiet, but all right,” she said. “We always have a good time.”
Darla Paston said she decided to return to Sip and Shop after reading a flier about the event last week.
“I came last year and it’s fun just to pop in real quick,” the Ramona resident said. “I bought some socks and I may get earrings.”
Halee Boegler, owner of Cake Pops by Halee, brought Easter-themed cake pops such as bunnies and carrots to the Sip and Shop.
Boegler travels around to sell the festive cake pops she makes at her cottage home bakery in Ramona. Some of her venues have included birthday parties, baby showers and weddings in addition to selling the treats at Main Street Coffee, Rise+Shine Coffee Shop, and Gathering Grounds in Ramona.
She said she plans to bring circus-themed cake pops to Barnett Elementary School’s carnival on April 26. And she will bring tacos and margaritas-themed cake pops to the Ramona Chamber of Commerce’s Tacos & Beer Fest on May 10, she said.
Other vendors at the event included CK Cattle Co. selling their tallow skin care products, Tara Holsapple with Holsapple Designs selling custom hats, Gray and Co. selling essentials oils and skin care products and Harvest Honey selling meal prep and food delivery services.
Also, Willowood Designs selling woodwork products such as custom cutting boards, Cali’s Closet selling kids clothing and accessories, Tamara Molloy of Turquoise Country selling native American jewelry, Mahli Hayes silversmith of Wild Stone Design selling handmade jewelry also sold at The Rusted Poppy, and the Cochrans selling handmade wooden toys.
The Rusted Poppy owner Joleen Stokes said she wanted to thank everyone who came out and set up, and also friends, families and customers who ed each of their businesses and vendors.
Bidegain said the next event at Reds, Whites & Brews will be a Haybarn Dance on Saturday, May 31. Bands will be playing rock, bluegrass and country music at the event hosted by Ashley E. Norton. Performers will include Matt Axton, Dolly’s Revenge, Farm Truck, Caitlin Cannon, Astra Kelly, Thea the Band and Natalie Price.
A food truck will be onsite, he said. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the show starts at 5:30 p.m. Advance tickets cost $20 each, but at the door the price is $25. Tickets are available online at Haybarn.BrownPaperTickets.com.
The following month, on Saturday, June 28, Reds, Whites & Brews will host a Battle of the Bands event with dueling country versus reggae bands at The Haybarn. Tickets also cost $20 in advance or $25 at the door.
“The audience might cheer out their approval for each band,” Bidegain said, noting that a limited number of tickets will be sold for both events and they are expected to be sold out.
