Meet Janine and William Bissic: Founders/Co-Owners of Vital Pomona

We had the good fortune of connecting with Janine and William Bissic and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Janine and William, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
We’ve always wanted to do some thing entrepreneurial together full time, and we often envisioned that happening in Pomona, CA. After a decade in an education career, Janine was looking for something new. We felt the timing was as good as it would ever be, and we jumped in with both feet. We’ve always appreciated Downtown Pomona‘s community and potential and felt we had a concept that would celebrate and complement what was already there and maybe even inspire new excitement and energy around the Arts Colony. A year and a half into this journey and we are really proud of what we’ve built so far!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Vital Pomona is a general store/gift shop and community space in the Downtown Pomona Arts Colony. We think that our love for our community and our daily work in creating platforms for local makers/artists make our space unique. Vital Pomona is a culmination of our shared genuine commitment to mentorship, education, and creativity. We feel that this space is a natural progression of our previous work and in that way it’s grown very organically. The greatest challenge over the past year and a half has been navigating the small business landscape amidst a pandemic. We’ve embraced our creativity, maintained flexibility, and continued to be rooted in our local community which has sustained us. We want people to know that Vital Pomona is for them. Whether they are looking for a gift, looking to share their gifts, or in search of community…we are here!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If we were hosting someone from out of town we’d absolutely have the following on our list of things to do:

-Downtown Pomona (duh) arts, coffee, shops, cool murals to take pictures!
(Mi Cafecito, Vital Pomona, Hilltop Jamaican Restaurant, Pomona Antique Mart, The Rookery, Caps & Drip, Glasshouse Record Store)

-Hiking in Mt. Baldy or even a local Diamond Bar trail

-Drive-In Movie at Mission Tiki

-Joshua Tree!

-Claremont Village (Some Crust Bakery, Node Plant House, Iron & Kin, Viva Madrid)

-Glen Ivy Hot Springs for all the soaking, pools and mud baths

-Roscoe’s for chicken and waffles!

…of course we’d probably do the beaches and LA spots too! Venice and Santee Alley are always a vibe. Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Both our families have been the foundation of our support system. We’ve been fortunate enough to build strong friendships and talented local networks on top of that foundation, who we’ve often called on throughout this entrepreneurial journey. The Pomona community, local small business community, and neighboring communities have also embraced us, and we are super grateful for all the love people have shown to us from the beginning. Most of all we want to shout out our kids. They have spent long days and nights at the shop and everyone has pitched in to make Vital Pomona happen.

Website: Www.vitalpomona.com

Instagram: @vitalpomona

Facebook: Facebook.com/vitalpomona

Image Credits
Alliyah Gonzalez @alliyahbgonzalez Daniel Sanchez @_holasanchito